TMNT: Liz's Beginning
by NightOwl285
Summary: This story is about the beautiful OC Liz created by Suzukiwee1357 on deviantart :D Go check her out and her amazing artwork! / I hope you all enjoy this story of Liz's beginning! I took forward to writing and I hope you all look forward to reading :D
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A long and merciless winter gave in to the rays of sunlight, bringing life to awaken once again. Spring for all was the season of new beginnings and life. The warmth of the new season brought many fierce storms upon the grand city that never sleeps. Usually people would just run for cover to save themselves from getting wet from natures gift.

As its citizens ran for cover to escape the droplets of rain, one young lady continued to sit on a metal park bench beneath the oak. Elizabeth Gordon spent most of her free time in Central Park, especially if she was lucky enough to be there when it wasn't too crowded. Normally people would duck and cover from the harshness of the raging storm, but she enjoyed it really.

The roars and crashes of the darkened clouds continued to release their mighty sounds down upon the earth. To Liz, the fearsome bangs of the storm were like the drums of the skies beating its rhythmic sound of its powerful music. She closed her eyes and listened to the music of the drums in the sky. So fearsome and powerful the sound, but passionate and calming all the same.

Liz had just been let out from school that day and was about to enter the weekend. She was looking forward to taking some time off and be with her mom. High school was certainly making her busy, but she was doing well. At the end of the day it was always just the two of them, mother and daughter. Sure they bickered and fought at times, but loved each other more than anything else in the world.

Liz finally opened her eyes again as the storm began to lighten its music to little thrums. She took in one deep breath, savoring the wonderful scent of fresh rain hitting the cut grass of the park and the intoxicating aroma of the Forget-Me-Not bush. But with all the other scents of the city, it was hard to imagine being in a place other than that world of metal and stone she lived in.

Looking up to the sky in a longing gaze, the old metal bench creaked beneath her as she got up from her seat. She groggily picked up her book bag and umbrella from the bench. Liz really didn't want to leave the peace and quiet from this rare opportunity to enjoy the storm, however, it was getting late._Always be home before dark_, her mother would always say to her. Of course it was annoying to hear all the time, but she was right.

The useless attempt to procrastinate leaving the sanctuary of the park suffered its utter defeat as she remembered her mother's words and grabbed her gear to leave. Along the wet sidewalks she walked. The rain had finally let up and she could put away her green umbrella. She always passed by the sweet little flower shop as she took her normal route back home. That day she decided to stop by and purchase some white peonies for the kitchen window sill. Peonies were her and her mother's favorite flower and loved its beautiful scent.

A few more blocks she walked until she finally came home. She paced up the stone stairs as she searched through her pockets for her keys. Once she got the door of the apartment building to open, she walked into her apartment where her mother waited while cooking in the kitchen. Liz could smell the mouth watering aroma of the spicy chili her mom was making.

"Hey sweetheart, how was your day today?" her mom asked.

"Pretty busy really. I'm just glad that I'm home now and can goof off a bit," admitted Liz. Her mom gave her a funny look while adding some ingredients to the mix. "Whatcha looking at me like that for?" Liz asked in confusion. She grabbed a spoon to try to steal a taste from the hot chili, but as she did so, her mom grabbed the whipped cream and doused it on Liz's nose.

"AAAGGGHH! Da heck mom?!" she shouted annoyed but also laughing at the same time. Her mom just have her that I got you look. Liz licked up the whipped cream.

"Goof off a bit?! Pfffffft! All you do is goof off you silly goose. I swear, I can't get you to do anything without lighting a fire under your ass. Hahahaha!" her mom laughed and teased.

"That is soooooo not true!" Liz protested as she puffed her cheeks. "Ha! And besides, it's genetics. Whatever I do is your fault, hahahaha!" Liz teased back. Her mom rolled her eyes at that last statement.

"Pfffffffft hahaha, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that one," her mom joked. "Oh hey, the chili is about ready. Set up the table for me please."

"Will do captain!" Liz answered while saluting in a funny way. Her mom chuckled and shook her head. As she was told, Liz set up the table while her mom served for them both. This was their everyday routine, just the two of them. And they wouldn't have it any other way.

But good things in life always do tend to change. Either for the better, or for the worse.

After dinner and after some minutes of nagging, mom finally got Liz to do the dishes. "Get your lazy ass over here and help out with the dishes," her mom joked, but serious at the same time. "I gotta find some way to help you get more motivated and not be so lazy. I swear, ya always got your head up in the clouds honey. Kinda like that guy from that old movie we used to watch. Remember _'Secret Life of Walter Mitty' _? That guy got into a lot of trouble with his curiosity and daydreaming."

Liz looked out the window seeming not to pay much attention as her mom continued to try to give good advice. She gazed out the window seeing the artificial lights beaming in the darkness of the grand city. Taking in a deep breath and releasing it in a small huff she said quietly enough, "Even though he faced those hardships, at least he ended up having a happy ending."

_'Let's watch that movie again tomorrow. Just the two of us.'_

Liz finished the dishes and left to take a shower. After her shower and in her duckie pj's, she turned off the light and cuddled in her warm soft bed. She fell asleep with the peaceful thought that everything will always be the same and that she and her mom would always be together.

…...

_And yet, what cruel writer of the Book of Fate will unravel her future?_

…

_Late in the night of the grand city of metal and stone there lived a small lizard that had just been purchased from a pet store about six blocks away. The little lizard did not like his small and stuffy glass cage. He wanted to be back with the other lizards he sadly departed from. Oh how he wished to leave. _

_The little boy that claimed him was young and forgetful. He opened the cage to feed the lizard some more bugs even though his cage was already full of them. His mother called for him to come to the table for dinner. He raced out of his room….. leaving the cage wide open._

_Oh what joy! What luck! This little lizard happily crawled out of his cage and out the window. Rejoicing at the thought of being free, he crawled out into the very big and strange world all alone. The little thing was surely frightened. He had no idea where to go. He quickly ran into the darkest place he could find and wait for daylight. Wearily cuddled inside of a discarded cardboard box, the little lizard fell asleep to the strange sounds of suited men walking through the alley with glowing things in their arms. _

_It wasn't important to him. They were only humans… as so they seemed. _

**_(A/N) Hey all! Im finally back and ready to write! I hope you all look forward to reading about this wonderful OC Liz :D _**

**_OC Liz does not belong to me. She belongs to Suzukiwee1357 on deviantart. Go check her out and her amazing artwork of Liz! :D _**

**_Link to her deviantart: _**

I very much look forward to writing more and I'm very excited to hear your thoughts :D I've missed you all! *hugs*


	2. Small Actions

**Ch 2**

Late in the night below the blackened city, four figures quickly and silently left the sanctuary of the sewers and into the world above. A large and unusual vehicle covered in graffiti raced through the streets of New York City.

"Donnie, where are they now?!" Leo asked in urgency. Donnie was looking at the scanner that could detect Kraang tech along with mutagen. It was still in its prototype phase, but Donnie wasn't given enough time to further improve it.

"They must be taking a van. The marker shows they made a sharp turn at W Houston going 70. We need to speed up!" Donnie said. Leo stepped on the gas and went full throttle until they approached their target. The Kraang van was finally in sight as Raph was preparing to launch the canons.

Small missiles fired its way at the Shellraiser in its attempt to stop the chase. Leo sped up until they were bumper to bumper. Raph had the perfect shot. He aimed at the tires and fired, causing the van to flip on its side. The four ninjas jumped out of the Shellraiser with weapons at hand, ready to fight. They waited for the Kraang bots to come out and start blasting their guns.

A few seconds passed and still no Kraang emerged from the crashed vehicle. Staying cautious of any sudden attack, Leo motioned for the guys to follow as he slowly reached for the handle of the back door. They held their weapons ready. With a quick and decisive motion, Leo threw the door open…..

No one was inside. The van was completely empty…

"What the heck?!" Leo swore in confusion. There was nothing inside, not even a driver nor robot of any kind. Out of curiosity, Mikey walked in the back of the van and looked around. All he found was some sort of device hooked up to the dashboard of the van and some other gadget thingys he wouldn't know about.

"Hey Donnie, come here. What's this thing?" Mikey asked. Donnie came up behind him as he started looking at the device. Mikey moved out of the way while Donnie began tinkering with the darn thing. He hooked up the device to his T-phone to scan it. Not a few moments passed before Donnie slapped his forehead and cursed under his breath.

"Shhhhhhhhit!" Donnie got out of the van in frustration.

"Well? What did you find out?" Leo asked in a commanding way. Donnie sat at the edge of the van as he began explaining.

"Well, for one thing my tracker was working. But on the other hand, it wasn't," Donnie began. Leo was starting to give him that 'Get on with it' look. "Basically," Donnie continued annoyed, "the tracker was only picking up a copy of Kraang signals and mutagen. This was a set up. They knew we'd follow."

Leo widened his eyes at the realization. "Are you saying we were following a _DECOY_this whole time?!" Leo shouted. "Your tracker should have picked up the real signal and tell the difference between the real thing and a fake one!" Donnie rose to his feet to face Leo.

"Well my tracker would have worked just fine if you hadn't have rushed me! I told you I needed more time to finish it Leo!" Donnie angrily shot back.

"You should have been working faster! In case you haven't noticed, time is not a luxury we can afford!" Leo was furious. "And now the Kraang are out there somewhere doing who knows what!" Donnie grew red in the face and gritted his teeth.

"Well if you think it's so easy, why don't YOU build everything?! Let's see if you can invent some better tech than I can! Face it! Without me, you wouldn't have a fucking pot to piss in!" Donnie raised his voice with anger. Leo tightened his fists until his knuckles turned light green. Back and forth they continued to fight.

_'Beep'_

"Fuck you Donnie! Without me to give you direction, you wouldn't know what to do!"

_'Beep'_

"I wouldn't know what to do?! Are you kidding me?! If I didn't do any of the shit I've done, you would have been in deep shit a long time ago you asshole!"

_'Beep Beep Beep'_

"Umm, guys?" Mikey suddenly interrupted. Donnie and Leo paid no attention.

"You know what?!" Donnie continued, "Let's see how you do without my help for a while! You won't feel so self righteous anymore when you realize how much I really contribute to this team!"

_'Beep Beep Beep Beep...'_

"GUYS! SHUT UP! Don't you hear that beeping?!" Raph cut in to stop the argument. The two finally stopped fighting for the moment to listen. Donnie followed the beeping sound. It was coming from below the dashboard of the van. Donnie's eyes grew wide from sudden panic.

_"IT'S A BOMB! RUN!" _

As fast as their legs could carry them, they ran towards the Shellraiser. Raph quickly threw the door open and pushed everyone inside. Leo was immediately at the wheel and stepped on the gas, making a sharp turn away from the van.

**_'BOOOOOM'_**

They felt the ground shake beneath them as the Shellraiser was going at top speed. They were lucky they got away from the explosion in time. Although relieved they escaped that enferno trap, Leo felt stupid for not noticing the beeping noises of the bomb sooner.

Leaving behind the massacre of the van in a cloud of smoke, Leo silently cursed under his breath as he drove off through the city streets in the dead of night. Despite the rambling thoughts going through everyone's heads, not a single word was spoken during the trip back home.

It was nearly 3 am when the four brothers returned home from their "wild goose chase" with the Kraang van. They could have sworn that the mission would end successfully that night, but following a decoy was foolishly not within their expectations. Now because of this minor setback, no one could imagine what sort of consequence would follow. Their main focus was to now detect the real signals, and eliminate them.

Donnie was the first to slam open the Shellraiser door as he angrily made his way to his room, slamming the door behind him. Clearly exhausted and just simply not in the mood for further argument, they all retired to their respective rooms. Leo, on the other hand, sat in the living room couch to think over that night's events.

Donnie rested his head upon the cool pillow as he thought about what happened. Too many thoughts and questions, so little answers. Why did things had to end so badly? Sure it was just one mistake, but what big problems could arise from this? If the Kraang were aware that they were going to be followed, then what was that decoy distracting them from? What were the Kraang planning?

…..

The following day as the warm rays of the morning sun shone through Liz's window, she awoke with a loud yawn and an explosive burp. She stretched out her arms and legs as she arched her back like a lazy cat. Groggily slumping out of bed in a lazy attempt to wake up completely, she made her way out of her room before slamming her face into the door.

_'BOOF'_

"OUCH! DAFAUQ?! Who put that door there?!" she cursed and grumbled sleepily. With her eyes still a bit closed, she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. Liz's mom was already awake as she was putting the finishing touches to her makeup.

"Morning baby. Whatcha want for breakfast?" her mom asked.

"MEHH WANT COFFEEH…." Liz replied in that goofy tone of hers. That girl just wouldn't (or couldn't for that matter) function right without a big hot cup o' joe in the morning.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know. Goofy pants. I was talking about whatcha want me to cook?"

"Ummmm food I guess?" Liz said sarcastically.

"Hahaha yeeeeeah, what KIND of food ya want ya knucklehead?" her mom replied.

Liz puffed up her cheeks in response, "Mehhhhhhhh." Her mom rolled her eyes as she was preparing the coffee.

"How about pancakes?" mom asked.

"Mehhhh."

"Eggs?"

"Mehhhhhhhhh."

"A knuckle sandwich? Her mom grinned.

"MEHHHHHHHHH."

"Ok, how about a swift kick in the ass?" her mom started laughing. Liz chuckled as she stuck out her tongue making that *pppppppffffffffttt* sound.

"Ok, eggs and bacon it is! Hehehe," her mom giggled.

The spent the morning together as always with a huge cup o' joe with creamer and extra sugar. "Yummeh coffeeh," Liz happily said in a silly voice. Together they watched that old movie 'Secret Life of Walter Mitty'. It was one of their favorites. They both loved watching old classics together on that big fluffy cozy couch.

Later they went out for a bit of shopping and ate Chinese food. They passed through the crowded park together for a walk after they ate. Liz loved that familiar smell of the Forget-Me-Not flowers as she made her way towards the flower bush. "Oh my god I just love this smell," Liz exclaimed. Her mom bent down to smell.

"Oh wow they smell so good! How about we pick up some flower seeds on our way back?" her mom asked as she took in another deep breath of the sweet scent. "Spring's finally here again and Imma itchin' to get mah gardening on! Hahaha," her mom laughed.

They soon left the park and headed towards the flower shop. "Aww damn, it's closed." her mom said disappointedly.

"It's alright, we can come back on Monday and pick up some seeds." Liz replied supportively. Her mom smiled as she scruffed up Liz's hair a bit.

"Sure thing kido, haha we can do that."

It was about 4:30 pm when they finally got home. Liz went to take a long lazy bath as her mom checked her email in the living room while having the weather news on the tv. While looking through her email she noticed that there was a package missing that was supposed to be shipped out and delivered to her that day. "Aww damn, I must've missed it."

Liz finally walked out of the steaming hot bathroom with a fuzzy blue towel around her head. She noticed her mom turning around in her seat as she walked in.

"Hey honey, could you do me a huge favor?" her mom asked.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Would you mind running out on an errand for me while I cook dinner? I was supposed to get a package today from Uncle George and I guess I missed it while we were out. Would you quickly run to the post office to pick it up for me please?And please quick, the post office closes at 5 I think."

Liz sighed a huff in a bit of irritation. "Ugggghhhh, why now? Can't it wait till tomorrow?" Liz complained.

"Well I wish, but tomorrow's Sunday, so the post office will be closed and I really need that package today. Uncle George sent me some menu samples and fliers for his new restaurant and he wants my opinion. If I don't get them soon, he's going to get pretty darn grumpy with me." her mom explained.

"Ok ok, "Liz sighed, "I'll go get it. Let me just go change my clothes."

"Thank you so much sweetheart. I'm sorry I gotta have you do this. I'll make it up to." her mom promised.

"How about pizza, buffalo wings, and a huge jug of soda and we'll call it even?" Liz smiled as she walked out the door.

"Hahaha you got it baby!" her mom exclaimed from the kitchen. "Love you baby!"

"Love ya mom! Be back in a bit!" Liz shouted back from down the apartment hallway.

_But little would she know that fate had another idea for her. _


	3. Curiosity

The dark grey clouds above began to rumble and thrum its gentle tune as Liz walked out of her apartment and out through the city. The post office was a bit far from her. Give or take 12-14 blocks away. She thought it would be faster to run rather than take a taxi through all that traffic. She seriously hated running, but getting nagged at by her mom was even worse to her.

Rain began to fall in tiny droplets as she quickened her pace. Last thing she wanted was to get caught in the rain since she had forgotten her umbrella at home. Small puddles began to form as she drew nearer and nearer to her destination.

Before making her next to final turn towards the post office, she noticed a group of strange suited men unloading some weird looking cargo into a white van. She took a short moment to stare at the scene, but remembered she had to get to the post office before they closed.

"4:50, I'm just about to make it." She took one last look before leaving the curious scene of the suited men. _What's with the glowing thingy? _She thought to herself. Liz bumped into a few people as she was trying to make her way through the crowd walking out of the post office. After a few shoves and a couple of _'excuse me's_' , she finally made it to her P.O box.

Rummaging through the mess in her pockets, she finally pulled out the key to unlock the mailbox. Liz stuck her small hand inside and pulled out a single small package and closed the box. As she turned to exit the post office, she reached into her pocket to pull out her phone and let her mom know she was on her way. She searched her pockets for a few moments before she realized something.

"Damn it! I left it at home," she muttered to herself. "Mom will fucking kill me if she finds out I forgot my phone again." She huffed in frustration as she stomped down the old stone stairs of the building and out into the city once again.

The sky grew darker over the towering structures of glass and metal. A massive storm was beginning to brew high above the thickening clouds. A gust of wind whipped her hair across her face. Liz made the same turn as she had earlier, the curious scene of the suited men still replaying itself over in her head.

Liz dared to investigate the scene a little closer this time. She wanted to see what those men were up to and what that glowing thing was. The suited men were still in the same place as before. They seemed to be almost finished with their business as she came closer. Liz found a place to hide and watch.

Every voice inside her screamed for her to leave, forget what was seen and go home. But her curiosity blinded her better judgement. She inched closer to listen and to get a better look at those strange glowing objects. Liz had this strange feeling that there was something bad going on.

"Are those lava lamps? Why do these guys look so shady, and with lava lamps?"

Liz carefully and quietly continued to watch the suited men as they were unloading the van. After a few moments she finally decided she should leave. Just as Liz was about to quietly turn away, one of the glowing objects fell out of the van and rolled towards her direction. It stopped just a few feet away from her. She hesitated. She didn't want to be seen, but she was so curious to get a closer look at the object.

The strange looking suited men didn't seem to take notice of the single missing object. As soon as she was sure they weren't looking towards her direction, Liz quickly made her way to the glowing object and picked it up. With her package in one hand and the glowing object in the other, she dashed away from her hiding place and ran away beside another building.

Liz let out the huge breath she was holding in. Her heart pounded rapidly against her chest as she tried to calmly walk away. As soon as she caught her breath, she took a moment to observe the object in her hand.

"This is a weird looking lava lamp," she said while turning over the object. The clouds above darkened and the rumbling of thunder grew louder. She suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. Liz froze as sudden panic struck her. It was the suited men.

_'Kraang is missing the one last canister that is known as mutagen. Kraang must retrieve it and bring it to the place that is known as Kraangs Experimentation Facility. Kraang needs all mutagen to do what is known as experiments on the ones known as test subjects.'_

Liz's jaw dropped, her eyes widened in fear. "What in the hell did I just hear?!" Her body shook and trembled. "What do I do? What do I do?!" Without giving it a second thought, she ran. Her feet beat heavily against the pavement as she ran away faster. Rain began to pour upon the grand city as the sky shook from the roaring thunder.

Liz was now nearly six blocks away from her home with the canister and package at hand. She was soaked from head to toe as she tried to make it back to her apartment. The sound of a speeding van drew closer. Her heart raced within her aching chest. There was a short cut within an alley she knew of to get home faster.

The alley was dark as she ran through. Liz didn't want to go this way, but she had no choice if she was being followed. She knew she would be able to lose them this way. The only source of light she had was the occasional flashes of lightning that struck. The alley was dark and lifeless. Deep puddles formed in the open cracks of the pavement.

"I have to get home, I have to get home!" she panicked. Her chest was heaving from the exhaustion of running. Her aching legs were growing extremely tired and heavy. Without taking notice of her surroundings, her foot got caught in a crack and she fell hard onto the pavement. Liz's body racked with pain from the harsh impact with the ground.

Just beside her, the little lizard that had escaped from his glass case emerged from his hiding spot. He slithered and crawled his way toward the fallen human and rested on her hand. Liz felt something strange on her hand and tried to shake it off. It was too dark to see what was on her hand, but it held fast to her finger.

"Gaagh! Get off!" she winced as she shook her hand. The lizard slithered off her hand and crawled away. Liz winced as she tried getting up. Her throbbing legs shook beneath her as she stood. "I think I lost them. I can walk from here on out," she breathed out. She squinted her eyes to look around her. When she had fallen, she dropped the package and canister.

"Where's the box, where's the box?!" she frantically searched the ground. The package was no where to be found, she could only see the eerie glow from the canister. It was cracked but not yet broken. Within the darkness of the alley she heard the screeching of tires coming to a sudden stop.

"DAMNIT!" she screamed. She picked up the glowing canister and tried to run as fast as she could again. "Why the fuck did I get myself into this mess?!" she cursed at herself. The sound of marching footsteps drew closer. The suited men held pink-ish glowing weapons in their hands. They drew their weapons and began firing.

"Oh my god, oh my god….. OH MY GOD!" Liz screamed as frightened tears burned her eyes. She tried to run away from the blasts as she held fast to the canister as a form of defense to avoid being hit. It was a hopeless attempt, but she had to try to run, but she was frozen in fear. She felt the burning pain from being shot in the shoulder, the thigh, her forearm, and other places on her body she couldn't think of. Her head was spinning, trying to endure the pain.

Suddenly one more blast hit the canister at the crack. The glowing contents exploded out of the glass case and engulfed Liz's body. As soon as the glowing ooze touched her skin she screamed and tried to get it off of her. She soon felt her skin burning like acid. Her trembling body fell to the ground, she wanted the pain to end.

Liz clawed at her head as she screamed out in pain. The burning sensation never ceased for a moment. The burning continued to spread throughout her body and down to her bones. She felt the bones and muscles in her face begin to twist and morph. The bones in her body cracked and bent as they shifted in different places. Her skin began to peel off her body in chunks. Her skin was replaced by dry scaly skin. She felt her spine shifting and twisting inside her body.

A shockwave of agony shot through her as she felt the end of her spine break apart. She felt her bones break and reattach in different ways. The pain in her lower back was unbearable. It felt as though something was growing out from her spine. She couldn't hear herself screaming anymore. The sounds of blood rushing through her ears and the snapping of her bones and joints was all she could hear.

Unable to scream, unable to move, Liz laid on the ground in a heaping mess. Her body continued to violently tremble from what she had just endured. For a while, her mind was completely blank as she stared off into the darkness. Within the darkness of the alley, she could still hear the voices of those suited men. Her body racked with pain as she tried to get up again.

Liz tried to move, but she felt strange. Her body didn't feel the same. Unbearable pain encompassed her entire body, but she willed herself to move. Inch by painful inch she made herself get up. Staggering as she stood, Liz turned to look towards the suited men. They were just a mere few feet away from her now. The men had their tools ready at hand to make her go inside the van.

_Kraang shall capture the mutant creature and hold it in the place that is known as the Experimentation Facility where Kraang will do what is known as experiments._

Liz's eyes widened with terror as panic and desperation struck her. Desperate for a way to escape, she frantically searched for a door, a hiding place, something. Once again she was on her hands and knees, the pain was too much to bear. Blinded by the darkness of the alley and the raging storm from above, she searched the ground in hopeless desperation until she came across something round and disk shaped.

There were ventilation holes on the disk. She soon realized it was a manhole. The manhole cover was heavy, but she managed to slide it to the side far enough that she could pass through. One of the suited men grabbed her hair and grasped one of the remaining shreds of her shirt. His tightening grip on her was cold and unfeeling. She screamed and squirmed in his hold as he pulled and dragged her violently towards the van. Liz was crying of fear and anger. She mustered up whatever strength was left in her.

_"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" _

She stood up on her weakening legs and pulled away. The man's grip was still held fast to her hair. Hot angry tears burning her eyes, she pulled harder despite the pain it was causing her. Then with a quick motion she grabbed his arm and yanked his hand out of her hair. She thought she had kicked him, but she didn't feel her legs doing anything, nor her arms. It was something else, she had no idea what.

There was no time to think about it. The very moment she broke free from the brute's grasp, she took that chance to run towards the manhole. The other suited men pursued her as she ran, but she was surprisingly quicker. They aimed and fired at her again. One blast after another. She cried out in agony, but pushed her body to go through the manhole. Finally below the entrance, she tried to pull the cover back over her to shut them out, but it was too heavy. She could only pull it half way over.

The men were above her and blasted their weapons down in the manhole. It was like a rain of fire as opposed to the cool rain that violently poured down upon her. Liz tried to get a good grip on the metal bars, but because of blasts and the pouring rain, she lost her hold and fell. Hitting against stone and the metal bars, she fell until she finally reached the bottom.

Fighting unconsciousness, once again she forced her body to stand and move. The tunnels below the world she once knew surrounded her. She didn't bother to take a moment to decide which tunnel to take. The men ceased their firing and she could hear them coming down. Without another moment to waste, she ran into one of the dark tunnels and disappeared into the hollow darkness.

Time was lost to her. She had no idea how much time had passed since she ran into the tunnel. One tunnel lead to another as she ran and ran with whatever energy was left. By then, she had already lost sight of the suited men, but fear still coursed through her that she didn't want to take any chance in stopping just yet.

Eventually it was too much. Liz finally stopped somewhere in the midst of the dark and lifeless tunnels. She fell on her knees in a heavy and painful thud. The ground was cold and hard as she rested her shaking body on it. Nothing could be heard in this desolate world below worlds. Her breathing gradually slowed after a while or so. That was all she could hear actually, the sounds of her own breathing and the loud drumming of her heart beating rapidly against her chest.

The dead of silence was suddenly broken as she let out a loud and agonizing cry. The sound of misery echoed through the darkness as hot tears streaked down her face. As of now, time was an illusion to her. She could have cried for minutes, hours, days. It didn't matter. She allowed the darkness to engulf her as she wallowed in her agony.

"Because of my damn curiosity….."

She began to say to herself before falling into the darkness of her own consciousness.

_"I'm going to die…"_

_..._

_Curiosity killed the cat they say..._

**(A/N) gaaaah I could have sworn I posted these last two chapters weeks ago ^^; so sorry for the mistake.**

no worries! there will be many more chapters up next :D im working on chapter 4 now.

Love you guys! and I love feedback! It keeps me going! :D


	4. Lost and Found

Chapter 4

The events of the previous night was indeed troubling to the team. Despite his exhaustion, Donnie stayed up most of the night trying to fix his scanner while flooded with thoughts of that night. He felt bad for snapping at Leo, but at the same time he had his reasons for doing so. Debating with himself over and over he wasn't sure if he should forget the whole thing and just apologize. But then again, Leo was also at fault. Indecision lingered on as he worked till early that following morning.

Leo was beside himself over the situation. He wanted to smack himself on the head for being so hard on Donnie. Of course he contributed greatly to the team. They're brother's after all. He was contemplating on whether or not to apologize. As a leader, he knew the right thing to do was to admit his mistake. But yet again, he thought he did nothing wrong. He thought he was right for what he said. Time is not a luxury he stated. Which is true, time is rarely an asset. But being a brother comes first.

Breathing out a sigh of frustration, Leo left the sanctuary of his quiet room to join his family at the kitchen. Who knows what Mikey will make for breakfast this time? Cringing at the thought, he made his way past the lab and toward the kitchen. He took a quick glance at the shut doors of the lab.

"Donnie's probably still working I guess," he thought aloud. He entered the kitchen to find Mikey cooking…...well…. he wasn't sure what it was, but hopefully it was edible. Before he could even ask what was for breakfast, he noticed Donnie sitting at the table with a mug of coffee in his hands. Leo kept his thoughts to himself for the moment. He could clearly see how exhausted and run down Donnie looked. Staying up all night until the job is done, that's the way of the scientist.

As Leo sat down by the table opposite Donnie, he shifted in his seat rather awkwardly. Apologizing was difficult at times and he didn't know where to begin expressing it. The room was filled with that unsettling awkward atmosphere. It was like they both wanted to say something, but no one was saying it. It was certainly frustrating.

Donnie continued to stare down blankly at his hot mug of coffee that said "Evil Genius At Work."

The silence in the room was becoming stifling, Leo decided to try to say something, but….

"BREAKFAST IS READY YO!" It was Mikey who finally broke the silence. Leave it to him to break any tension. Leo closed his mouth as he was interrupted. That long blank stare never left Donnie's features as if he heard nothing. It felt awkward to try to apologize with Mikey there, but he had to try. It hurt him to see Donnie like this.

"Donnie, I….."

"MORNING GUYS!" Casey boomed with a grand entrance to the kitchen. Raph and April followed behind him as they all took their seats together at the table. Mikey passed out the plates to everyone.

"LETS EAT!" Mikey said loudly. He filled everyone's plates with his crazy concoction. They took a moment to look at it.

"What the heck did you make?" Raph asked.

"Pizza Omelets! We all love pizza, we all love omelets. So I made Piz-Omelets!" Mikey gleamed. "Or Om-izza hahaha." Everyone took a hesitant bite.

"Mmmm… Not bad man! Pretty good." said Casey. They all seemed to enjoy their breakfast. All except Donnie, he didn't touch his food at all. April noticed and felt worried.

"Donnie? Are you ok?" April asked in concern. Donnie finally broke out of his trance from hearing the voice of the girl he loves. His grogginess was evident in all his features. He had not a wink of sleep the previous night. He sat there in silence not knowing what to say…

"I have to go work….." Donnie said in a hoarse whisper. He tiredly got off his seat in a heavy heap and made his way out of the kitchen in silence. April got up from her seat to follow. Leo let out a breath of uneasiness and decided to follow as well. This wasn't right, he shouldn't have allowed this to happen.

"Donnie wait up. I…." April began to say, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. Frozen in place her eyes widened as she held her head. "Aahhhhhh! Agggghh!" April cried out in pain as she fell to her knees. "Agghh…. My head…"

Donnie immediately turned around as he heard April's cries. He rushed towards her side and held her. "April…. April, what happened?!" said Donnie as he brought his hand to her face. April rested her head on his chest as the pain began to subside. Soon she let out a long breath.

"I'm alright….. I… I thought I heard something. No…. I know I heard something. I heard crying. A girl…" April tried to explain.

Hearing the noise outside of the kitchen Casey, Raph, and Mikey went to see what was going on. They saw April on her knees in Donnies arms and Leo standing behind her. Donnie stroked her hair to make her feel better.

"April, you sure you're ok? Tell me exactly what you heard." Leo said. April got up with Donnie and both sat together on the couch. She took a moment to think about what she heard.

"Like I said, I heard crying. And if my hunch is right I'm pretty sure it's coming from deep in the sewers. It's faint, but it was like I could….feel her. I'm not sure how to explain it. But I know what I heard. There's someone down here somewhere. And I think she's in a lot of pain…"

It was unbelieveable, but curious all the same. April was part mutant with psychic abilities, but no one would have guessed she would be able to start hearing things besides the Kraang. Donnie placed his hand on April's shoulder.

"Ok April, lets go find out what this is all about. You stay here and take it easy while we…"

"Nope, stop right there," April cut him short. "I already know what you're going to say, but no. I'm coming with you. Besides, how do you expect to find anyone or anything without me guiding you? I can still sense this person, but she's pretty far away. I want to go find her."

Donnie looked at the guys and then back to April. "Ok, you make a good point. We'll head out soon. But first, do you know exactly where we're going? I mean, where do you think the sound was coming from?" Donnie asked. He was growing more curious. It was fascinating that April's abilities seem to be evolving. As a scientist, this was something he wanted to learn more about.

"Hmmmm….." April closed her eyes as she tried to search for the source of the crying once again. A few moments of complete silence passed before answering.

"It's kind of hard to tell. It looks like she's somewhere in a really old abandoned part of the sewers. There's a lot of tunnels and its really dark. So I can't exactly pin point her out." April explained.

For a while, Leo was struggling with the situation with Donnie, but now a new problem arose. It looked like, for the time being, that he'll have to wait to apologize later. Right now he had to go with his team to find someone in trouble. At first Leo wasn't sure if it was even possible for April to be able to hear thoughts. But he trusted her. A thought came to him however….

"Wait a sec," Leo began. "How do we know for sure that this isn't some sort of trap by the Kraang? I mean, could there really be a person in the sewers? Not only that, but you were able to hear someone's thoughts. I'm sorry if I'm being too skeptical here, but…"

"It's fine, no worries. I seriously find it hard to believe myself, but I heard what I heard. And trust me Leo, there is no way this is Kraang. This person….. is in pain. It's hard to believe, but I'm able to feel her. Leo…." April started, "she's in a really dark place right now. And I know the Kraang were involved in this somehow. We have to go get her."

Leo could see she was set in her resolve to find this person. "Alright, lets gear up and head out. We go with extra caution. No rushing. Is that understood?" he looked to everyone else. Raph, Casey and Mikey nodded in agreement. Leo looked to Donnie, "You stay alongside April at all times."

Donnie gave him a thumbs up. "Can do."

As all was said and done, the group headed out to the uncharted parts of the sewers. Mikey and Donnie were sure to bring plenty of flashlights and snacks in case the search went on for a long time. Since April said that this person could be injured, he brought along his med kit just in case. Raph and Casey brought extra weapons if this whole thing turned out to be a wild goose chase into a stupid trap.

April and Donnie walked side by side ahead of the group. For a while it seemed she was following a thin thread swaying in the wind. Left tunnel, right tunnel, this tunnel and that. This was harder than she previously imagined. "Lets stop here a while…...I need a breather." April said as she rubbed her head. It felt like her senses were leading them nowhere.

Mikey sat with Raph and Casey as he pulled out some sandwiches from the cooler. He passed out the snacks and drinks to everyone before sitting down and eating. He groaned slightly, "Uuuuugggghhhhhhh! This is so boring you guys. Lets just head back home. I doubt there's anything here. This place is so dead." Mikey complained with his mouth full.

"I hate to admit it, but I think he's probably right," Raph began. "These tunnels have been empty and abandoned for ages. It's amazing we were even able to come down here this far." He explained. These tunnels were extremely large and empty. There was no sign of life or activity anywhere besides themselves.

Donnie nibbled on his ham and cheese sandwich while April barely ate a thing. "You alright April?" Donnie asked concerned. April looked to him and gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine, it's just… I can't shake off this feeling. I can't hear any more crying, but I can still feel someone there. It's hard to explain." She looked down to gaze at the ground again. Part of her felt like she was just wasting their time. She didn't like this at all.

Donnie wished he knew what was going through her head so he could help her. All he could really do was try to support her in any way he could. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze. "It'll be alright April. We'll figure this out together and get to the bottom of it. We're all here to help you as much as we can." he smiled his gapped grin.

April looked to him again and had to smile. Somehow he always knew just what to say to make her feel better. Just before either of them could say anything else, a sharp pain went through April's head. She doubled over onto the ground hissing in pain as she held her head tightly. "Gaaahhhhhh! Ahhhh!"

Donnie's eyes grew wide in dismay as he rushed to her side. He held her shoulders as she continued to cringe from the pain. "April?! April…..?!" He tried his best to help. April kept close to the ground as flashes and sounds loudly rang through her mind. The person was lost, still in pain. She was suffering and on the verge of death.

"NOOOO! HOLD ON! WE'RE COMING!" April screamed out.

Donnie was completely at a loss, he had no idea what to do. The others gathered around them trying to help. April took long shaky breaths for a few moments. Before anything else was said, April shot up and ran off through the tunnels.

"We have to hurry now! I know where she is!" April rushed off into the dark tunnels without waiting for anyone to follow her. Everyone scrambled like mad to gather their things and catch up to her. Donnie was the first to turn on his flashlight and run after April.

"God damn it April!" Raph growled out. He didn't even get to finish his sandwich. And now he had to run into a pit of black just because of a crazy noise she keeps hearing. He was dead set sure that this was just some set up by the Kraang. Either way, he was going to bust someone's balls sooner or later.

"April slowdown! You can't see anything in this dark!" Donnie called out from behind her. She rushed off so fast he almost lost her. In fact he couldn't see her anymore, but could hear her running. "April!"

….

When one dwells in the darkness in silence, all time becomes illusion. Joy then fades into sorrow as the lone traveler ventures deeper within the carnations of mans greatest evil's….

A world beyond world, a darkness beyond darkness. The lone shattered soul that once shone brightly now has dimmed. The poison of hopelessness spreads within and throughout.

The hollow tunnels of the sewers proved cold and lifeless. Liz had fallen deep within the dark recesses of her mind. It was as if she had completely turned off or "shut down". The back of her shoulders raised and lowered with ease, showing her steady, yet shaky breathing.

Somewhere within herself, fragments of memories played out in her head. So much joy and so much love filled her heart with each and every passing moment in her simple life. Suddenly her body shook violently as the memories of the suited men came into view. The entire scene had replayed itself over and over in her head and each time more violent than the last.

When the contents of the glowing canister broke onto her body, she had felt her body break, bend, burn, and twist. Again and again the memories tormented her in sleep. One final blast shooting out of the barrel blinded her before waking up in a violent jolt.

Liz frantically turned her head in every direction, but did so in vain. She shook her head and searched her surroundings hoping it was all just a horrible nightmare. Seeing nothing but darkness and feeling the cold hard ground of the tunnels beneath her, she felt a hitch in her breath as her eyes began to burn once again.

Salty hot tears rolled down her face at the realization that this was in fact reality. She balled her hands into fists, raised one of her arms and slammed her fist onto the hard ground in sheer anger. Her breathing grew heavier from the rage and misery building up inside her. Feeling her stomach begin to turn and twist she heaved over and spat out the bile and vomit that threatened to leave her burning throat.

"GGAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed and shrieked in the most horrific way possible for what seemed like hours upon hours when in reality was only a few minutes. Time was slipping away. She could no longer grasp the difference between reality and nightmare.

Such irony. They say there is a light at the end of the tunnel when you reach death, and yet there she was in the darkest of tunnels with no light to follow. She reached out her hand in desperate hope that someone would be there to take it. In life or in death.

"H…..help…...me….."

Liz fell into the darkness. She wasn't sure if her eyes we open anymore or not. Moments more passed as she waited for death to come to her and end her miserable existence. What a price to pay for the sake of wonder and curiosity. Damn her…...damn it all.

She knew she was going to die there. She was going to die in the pit of nowhere and absolutely no one would have known what happened or where to even find her body. She thought of her mother. Her mother must be worried sick. What would happen to her mother after she died? The thought of leaving her mother completely alone brought new tears to sting her eyes.

"Ohh God…...mom…...mom…."

She had no more energy left to scream. Only in her mind did she scream "GOD DAMN IT! JUST TAKE ME NOW!" But no, she was not even given the mercy of screaming. She laid on the cold hard surface for what seemed like an eternity. She simply took it all as her just reward to suffer. "I will die right here, and no one will know…..not a soul…"

The sounds of rapid footsteps came bounding closer and closer, the sounds bouncing off the tunnels in an eerie echo. Fear struck her heart and yet she dared not move. She didn't think twice about it really. She was sure there was nothing there. Just her mind playing tricks on her. Yet the sounds grew louder and more rapid as it seemed to be getting closer. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought the ground shook beneath her a little from the vibrations of someone running.

Not someone…..much more than one. Liz's bloodshot eyes went wide at the realization that there was something in the tunnels with her, gaining on her.

"Damnit….!" Even though she was waiting for death to greet her, she would rather die by her own accord rather than in the clutches of those who tend to harm her.

"I won't let them fucking touch me again!" she hissed low tone.

…

April ran as fast as she could to where the pained voice was coming from. "Hello?! Hello?! Where are you!?" She searched in desperation. She knew she was getting closer. Donnie shone his flashlight as he ran after her. He handed her a flashlight as soon as he caught up to her. Mikey stopped in his tracks for a moment.

"Stop! I think I heard something…." Everyone froze.

"_Nnnghhh…...gaaahhhhh…! No…..please…..no!"_

All at once the group ran off in unison towards the voice. They finally reached a very old widely open tunnel. It was pitch black. Leo and Donnie walked ahead and shone their flashlights to better see. On the ground pressed tightly against the wall of the tunnel there was something moving. April didn't hesitate at all and went towards it.

"April don't!" Donnie shouted in worry. "You have no idea what it is!" April snapped back at him.

"Yes I do! You're not able to see and hear things that I can! I can handle this myself!"

April soon regretted being so shitty like that with him, but this was important. The voices in her head wouldn't stop until she reached its origin. She carefully walked closer until she was just about a foot away.

"Hello? Hey…..are you alright? Can you talk….?" April asked in her softest voice in attempting to comfort.

Despite April's soothing voice, Liz was still in complete state of shock. Liz jolted from her spot on the ground and made her best attempt to get away.

"Go away! Don't come near me!" She scooted away as fast as she could on the ground. She forced her body to move despite her unbearable pain. She wasn't going to die by someone else's hands.

April was taken aback from the girl's shrill and terrified shriek. She offered her hand out to the girl. "It's ok, I'm April. We're here to help…." April was cut off by the girl pushing her away. Donnie and Raph came up beside April shining their flashlights at the girl. Their eyes went wide for a short moment when they were finally able to see the girl clearly. "Oh…...oh my God…."

Liz went blind from the sudden bright lights that struck her eyes. She tried her best to lift her arm to cover her eyes, but it was a wasted effort. Her eyes were soon set on the large figures behind the redheaded girl. Her heart painfully sped up in fear seeing that they didn't appear to be human.

"No…! Get away from me! Leave me alone! _GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!_" Liz screamed in a cracked voice. She commanded her body to move and she did so. She scrambled to her feet and tried to run away leaning on the wall to support her.

April was frozen in dismay at the scene before her. She wasn't expecting this reaction at all. All she wanted to do was help this girl. And yet she cowered in fear. "Wait! Come back! We're here to help you!" April shouted to her. She didn't want to run after her in fear of her running away farther and scaring her.

Liz soon picked up her speed in running away. Adrenaline rushed through her body she didn't think about the pain she was in and all the damage that was inflicted on her body. She had no idea where she was headed to and she didn't care. Just so long as no one caught her.

No one could see anything in these tunnels. Liz never thought there there was an ending to the tunnel she was in. Just a few feet away from her now, there was a large opening that dropped down into a seemingly bottomless pit with rushing water and rusty pipes intertwining from all sides.

April and the others caught up to her as slowly as possible as though not to scare her more. But they soon realized that she was headed somewhere dangerous. "Hey! You! Stop! It's dangerous there! Please come back!" Mikey shouted. He and Raph sped up to catch her.

Liz could only hear the sound of rushing water as she neared the pit of the tunnel. Her foot stepped on the very edge of the opening. She glanced behind her once again. These things were coming closer. Liz thought these people or things were with those suited men. She wasn't going to take the risk. She wasn't going to let them come near her. "I'd rather die….."

Without a second thought she jumped. Everyone's eyes grew wide in shock and disbelief. "NO…..!" they all shouted in unison. Raph and Mikey were just mere inches away from her as she jumped, their fingertips barely grazing her arm.

Liz's heart leaped within her chest as she fell into the pit. She reached out to grab a hold of a pipe, but did so in vain as she slipped and fell, hitting one pipe after the other until she finally landed on one. The sound of her ribs cracking echoed throughout the tunnel. She gasped for air desperately as she held on to the pipe for dear life.

It all happened so quickly they all thought she was dead for a moment. They heard her body hit the pipes and the horrific sound of her bones breaking until they looked over the edge and saw her holding onto a pipe. Mikey instantly took out his kusarigama chain and thew it as it caught onto the nearest pipe. "Hold on! I'm coming!" Not another second passed before jumping off to get her.

"Mikey! Wait!" Leo shouted before he could stop him. Too late though, he was already out of reach. "Damn it Mikey!" He cursed.

The water gushed from all sides along the walls beating down on Liz as she tried to hold on. The pipe was getting slippery she was about to lose her grip. She saw one of those things heading towards her from above. "Shhhit….." she hissed under her breath. Liz was finally able to adjust her eyes in the dim light no longer being pitch black.

Mikey lowered himself down towards the injured girl. Before he had anytime to react, the hook blade from his weapon broke through the old rusted pipe. He landed on a pipe on his feet luckily and close enough to the girl just above her. "Hey! Are you alright?! How badly are you hurt? Can you move?" Mikey started asking worriedly.

Liz was silent at first, unsure of what to say or do. "Get away from me! Don't touch me! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she shouted in pained desperation. Mikey felt a twinge of pain hit his heart strings at that. All he was trying to do was help.

"It's alright! Please! Just swing your tail up, it's long enough that I can pull you up!" he shouted down to her. The rushing water was so loud he no choice but to shout to be sure she heard him.

Liz was completely and utterly confused. Tail? "Tail?! I don't have a fucking tail! What ta-..." She turns to see theres is a long moving figure just behind her. It takes her a few moments to realize that is was in fact a tail attached to her lower back.

"_AAAHHHHHHHH….!"_

Liz screamed out breathlessly and continued gasping out for air. "Oh God this can't be for real!" she was freaking out of her mind. She was sure she had fallen into madness. There was just no logical way for her to have a tail. She was human.

Mikey was startled for a moment from her screams. Why would she freak out over her own tail…..? Unless….she had just realised she was mutated, or still had no idea what happened. Mikey felt sad for her, he wanted to help her. "Please! Let me help you….." he lowered himself again with his chain after making sure it was secure this time. He reached his hand out to grab her. There were now just a few feet apart. "Take my hand!"

Liz shivered from the cold water that continued to rush down over them both. She held onto the pipe with both her arms hanging over it. Surely she had some broken bones. There was no way she could extend an arm out to him. She spitefully laughed at herself inside. '_Heh, how cliche. Me being the common pathetic damsel in distress.'_

Mikey reached farther out to her as much as he could, but he didn't realize how much weight he was putting pressure on the pipe he stood on. Rather than the hook blade breaking through the pipe this time, it was the pipe itself detaching from the mold covered stone walls. Before Mikey could react, he started falling again, but this time he had nothing left to latch on to.

Liz's eyes went wide, her heart racing as she watched him fall and saw the fear on his face. Not even thinking, her tail whipped toward Mikey as he fell. Without hesitating, Mikey grabbed her tail and held onto her as he dangled in the air. Intense pain started shooting through Liz's body again as her adrenaline was wearing off. She suddenly felt light headed and numb.

Mikey looked up to her as he tried to swing his kusarigama chain again. "Hang on! Just hold on a little longer!" As all this was happening, Leo and Raph took their grappling hooks and climbed their way down. April and Casey tied the ropes and held onto them just in case while Donnie pulled out his medical supplies ready to treat any injuries.

Liz looked down at his scared face. "Just go! Climb up and go! Leave me! You'll die if you try to save me! Just save yourself damn it!" she shook as her grip was weakening.

Mikey shook his head, "Like hell I will! We're both going to get out of this mess whether you like it or not!" He was honestly kinda pissed at her for saying that. There he was trying to save her ass and she just tells him to go away? Fuck no.

Raph reached them first, Leo following shortly behind. Raph held his arm out to Mikey, "You're a fucking idiot you know that?! You could have hurt yourself or worse for being so reckless! Thats MY job!" Raph shouted angrily as he grabbed Mikey and swung him over his back. Raph climbed up with Mikey and made it back safely. Leo reached out for the girl.

"You're a lot of trouble, ya know that?! What were you thinking jumping off like that?! Are you crazy?!" Be it as it may, yes, Leo was indeed scolding this stranger for being so reckless. Trying to land steadily onto the pipe, he was just about to lift her up…..

Until she lost her grip and fell. No scream or plea for mercy could escape her lips. Time froze for her. All seemed to go black and vanish into an empty void. She hoped to die before hitting the bottom and snap her neck, or drown in the water. Whichever came first.

Liz finally allowed her eyes to close, allowing gravity to take over and claim her life.

'_This is it. I will die here….and no one will know…..not a soul…..'_

Leo's heart nearly stopped the moment she fell. He was so close, not even an inch away. Leo wasn't one to give up so easily, especially if he thought nothing of the dangers of the situation. He quickly tied and twisted the rope around his wrist and jumped after her. He had to be fast and only had one chance at this. If he missed, it was all over and he would have a death on his conscious. Now or never.

A few more seconds, a few more feet, "Come on! Closer!" A few more moments, a few more inches, "Almost!" His line was almost at its end. He could touch the shreds of her shirt, "Got you!" He grabbed a hold of her shirt and gripped it for life's sake. He pulled her up into his arm and held her tightly while his other arm held fast to the end of the rope. They fell for a few more seconds before there was no more rope left and they came to a sudden stop with a hard jolt.

"Ahhhhhh…..!" Leo shouted followed by the sound of his wrist and possibly his shoulder snapping. "DAMN IT!" he swore and cursed. His right arm pounded from the intense pain, but he was sure that the mutant girl he was holding was suffering a lot more than he was. He took a moment to realize how amazing that he was even able to catch her with all the water falling around them. As the water hit his face, he looked up to see the flashlights from the others.

"Hey! Get your lazy asses down here and pull us up damn it!"

The others were already on their way down as soon as they noticed they didn't come up soon after Raph and Mikey did. Raph climbed down with the end of the rope tied securely around his waist, but not all the way down to where they were. He stood on a stable looking pipe, and pulled them up.

Donnie was still up at the edge of the tunnel above pulling them up after tending to Mikey. When Mikey had fallen the second time, he twisted his ankle awkwardly. Donnie had to set it back in place and then wrap it up before he could help the others. "You stay right there and don't even try to walk on that foot!" Donnie commanded in his doctor mode.

Mikey sat there as he was told. Although he did fuss a little. "This is really uncomfortable…." he mumbled to himself. But was really more worried for the mutant girl. He hoped she was alright.

After a while, everyone was finally back up in the tunnel, safe on solid ground. Leo's arm went numb and he couldn't move it at all. It was extremely painful when Donnie had to move it downwards to his side. But all the while, Leo never dared let go of the girl. He sat on the ground holding the unconscious girl in his arm. While no one noticed, Leo ducked his head down by her ear and whispered something to her. No one paid any attention to them at the moment, and he had no idea if she could even hear him. But he did so anyway.

Liz felt herself being held in someone's arms. This persons hold was warm and strong. Even though in the depths of darkness and despair, she found comfort. Somewhere in her imagination, she was thinking that maybe she was being held by an angel. Before falling completely into unconsciousness, she heard a soothing voice that reached her heart and she would never dare let it go.

"_Everything's going to be ok…...It's alright….I got you…."_


	5. Coffee and Muffins

(previous night)

After about a half hour, Roxanne finished cooking their dinner. She looked at the time and wondered what was taking Liz so long. Roxanne decided to keep the food hot on the stove top while she waited for her daughter to come back.

An hour passed by. Still no sign of her. Roxanne was getting very nervous. At first she thought this was just normal for her daughter. Liz always took her time and got lost in her imagination. But no phone call, no nothing? Roxanne grabbed her phone and called Liz. She waited anxiously as the phone rang. Her breathing stopped for a second when she heard Liz's ringtone coming from her room.

"Oh God…"

The phone nearly fell to the ground as her grip loosened. Roxanne quickly ran out the door and rushed to the post office. The place was closed but the clerk was just about to walk in his car.

"Sir! Sir! Have you seen my daughter?! She should have been just here about an hour ago. She's 16, brown hair and came here to pick up a package. Please! Have you seen her?!"

The clerk was taken aback by this sudden panic. "Uhh, yes ma'am, I think I have. She was here about an hour ago and left with the package. Is there something I ca-..." He was cut off when Roxanne took off and ran. She looked ally after ally, sidewalk after sidewalk until…

She froze dead in her tracks as she came to a torn open box and some mail. She begged, hoped, prayed and pleaded that this wasn't what she thought it was. Roxanne turned over the box with the address…

'_To Roxanne and Liz Gordon from Uncle George….'_

Roxanne shook and trembled until she fell to her knees. The world was spinning around her in a sick chaotic manner. This couldn't be happening.

"LIIIIIIZ!" LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIEEEEEEEE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

She screamed and wailed in fear and desperation. Phone at hand, she dialed 911.

….

After a few minutes the police finally arrived as so did the news crew hungry to dig up any new dirt to spread to the world. Like ravenous wolves out on a hunt, the camera crew tried to crowd Roxanne for information. Luckily the police and the detectives kept the savages at bay while they tried to calm her down and investigate.

"Mrs. Gordon, about what time did your daughter leave the house? Was she alone? Do you know what could have happened? Did she have any bullies or enemies at school? Did you two have any problems at home and think she might have run away?..." One detective kept asking so many questions at once.

Roxanne was trying so hard to hold in her cries of fear and panic. So many horrific thoughts came into her mind as to what could have happened. She didn't want to think about it. All she wanted was her daughter back.

"She left at about 4:30 to go to the post office. I waited an hour at home and no sign of her. I called, but she didn't take her phone with her. Oh God…..oh God please…..please find her! Please!" Tears streaked down her face as she cried. Her little girl was missing and she had no idea what happened to her. She was terrified.

The detective looked at her with sincerity and concern, but he was used to this sort of thing. It was part of his job. He'd seen this scenario over and over again like a broken record singing the same old tune.

"Don't worry Mrs. Gordon, we'll find her. I'm on the case." The detective tried to be comforting. It's hard to sound convincing when you've seen the same old story and see how it always ends with tears and death. What could the old man do? It was life. Things happen.

Roxanne tried to believe him, but found it hard to. Whatever happened to her, wherever she was, Roxanne swore to bring her home no matter what.

Human beings can only harness so much power….

…..

18 hours pass. Still no sign of Elizabeth Gordon…

…

They all came home at around 11:30 am. Leo walked in first with the mutant girl in his arms. Splinter rushed in and took the girl in his arms. He wanted to know what happened. Raph and Casey explained it all to him while Donnie and April rushed Mikey, Leo and the girl to the lab to treat their injuries.

Leo turned his head to look up at the clock. Almost noon and already he felt like a ton of bricks landed on him. His right arm ached like crazy. Donnie insisted he wear a sling, but decided against it. The pain meds he took was helping enough for him. Leo was more concerned about everything that just happened that morning. April's psychic abilities, the Kraang, and now this mutated girl.

In front of the lab doors there were a few stair steps. Leo sat at the near bottom of the steps trying to peer inside the slightly open doors of the lab. He cringed whenever he heard the girl gasp or groan in pain. Part of him wanted to get away and watch Space Heroes, but some other part of him wasn't allowing him to move away from that spot. He couldn't really explain why, but he felt like he needed to stay there.

Donnie and April were in the lab together examining and tending to her wounds. This was the worst Donnie had ever seen. The poor girl had taken a brutal beating from whatever she endured. He felt pity for her.

From top to bottom they checked her over and did their best to care to her wounds. There were bruises and lacerations all over her body. Her shoulder, forearm, thigh, and other parts of her body was covered in dried blood. There were already signs of infections in the wounds due to exposure to sewer water. Donnie carefully cleaned the dirt and dried blood on her. April cleaned other wounds as well as trying to keep the girl calm.

Although unconscious, the girl would occasionally flinch and gasp when her open wounds were touched. April stroked her hair and softly whispered that everything was going to be alright. Donnie was in his full doctor mode, meaning that he didn't quite care if he had to see her bare. Whatever clothes remained on the girl had to be removed for him to examine her.

The girl's ribs were badly damaged. Donnie put her under an X-ray to see the extent of her injuries. It appeared that she had broken two ribs and were cracked in several areas. The shoulder of her right arm was sprained and the joint bone to her ankle was twisted. Overall, the girl's injuries would eventually heal, but it was going to take some time. Not to mention any possible mental or emotional damage.

Donnie and April wrapped her wounds with care. Most of her wounds were in need of stitches and may have to be looked at every now and then to make sure they didn't get anymore infections. April gave the girl a large shirt to cover herself in. Donnie hooked her up to an IV and kept her sedated. He was sure she was in a lot of pain and wanted to rest. Looking at her face, Donnie could see that her pain was far more than just physical. Donnie left the lab to check on Mikey.

In the meantime, April decided to stay in the lab with the girl while she slept. "Nothing makes any sense anymore ya know…" she said somewhat to herself and to the mutant girl. Her only response was shaky breathing and the sounds of the medical machines she was hooked up to.

A curious thought continued to linger in April's mind. "Just how powerful am I….?" she wondered to herself. She had been told that within her is a power that she has not even begun to tap at the surface. The thought scared her.

"What am I…?"

…

As Donnie left the lab, he saw Leo sitting at the stairs. He sat down beside his older brother. " Hey…"

"Hey...is she ok?" Leo asked as he held his right arm close to his side. Donnie took in a breath before answering.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. She….she sustained a lot of injuries. I'm not even certain as to how bad. She's going to need time to heal. Whatever she went through, or whatever the Kraang did to her, it was bad…." Donnie lowered his gaze to the ground unsure of what else to say.

Leo placed a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "It'll be ok. She's in a safe place and we'll help her. We'll find out what the Kraang are up to and put a stop to them. And Donnie….." he began, "I'm sorry. You know…..about before. I was out of line. I didn't mean it."

Donnie met Leo's eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry too bro. Thanks man." They were both glad that they cleared the air. Donnie stood up to stretch a bit. "I'm going to go check on Mikey's ankle. You can go in the lab if you want, April's there too."

Leo got up and stood by the door as Donnie left. He was hesitant to go in, but brushed that feeling aside as he walked in. April was sitting on a chair beside the bed the girl was sleeping in. April looked over to Leo as he came in and smiled "Hey Leo."

"Hey April. So...are you feeling ok? I mean...your head and everything...er….uh…" he stumbled over his words a bit. He wasn't quite sure how to word it. He was still very curious about April's abilities. A part of him even wondered if it would become a great danger at some point. He didn't want to be pessimistic, but he could never be too sure.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just feeling a bit drained is all. And you? How's your arm?"

"I'll be fine, it's just sore is all." he said as he took a seat opposite the bedside from April. He still held his arm close to his side as he looked at the girl. Part of him wanted to scold her for being so reckless and causing such a ruckus, but at the same time he couldn't blame her either. "So….your powers. How do-..."

"I don't want to talk about that right now Leo…." April cut him off, "Just drop the subject. There's nothing to talk about." It was a sensitive subject for her now. She had no idea what her powers were even capable of and it scared her. She got up from her seat and started to make some coffee for them.

Meanwhile, Donnie walked to the living room. Raph and Casey were sitting on the couch watching the news. "So how's she doing?" Raph asked.

"Well...we'll just have to wait and see. But I'm sure she'll be fine."

"So did she say anything? Do you know what happened exactly?" Casey asked.

"No, I don't know anything just yet. But I'm pretty sure it involves the Kraang. No doubt about that. But for now, lets just help her get back on her feet." Donnie explained. "By the way, where's Mikey?"

"He's in his room." Raph pointed to the bedroom hall. Donnie walked past them and knocked on Mikey's door.

"Hey, it's me." Donnie said to the closed door.

"Come in," Mikey called from his room. Donnie walked in to see his brother laying on his bed reading a comic book.

"How's your ankle Mikey? Do you need another ice pack?" Donnie asked as he sat at the edge of the bed to look at Mikey's ankle. It was very swollen and black and blue. He would have to stay off his foot for a while.

"It's sore, I can't move it at all. And yeah, another ice pack sounds good. Thanks D." He sat up on the bed while Donnie looked over his ankle. "Hey Donnie….is she alright?" Mikey was concerned for the girl as was everyone else.

"Umm, yeah. I'm sure she'll be just fine Mikey. She's just going to need some time is all." Donnie really hoped he was right. "You stay here and rest. I'll go get you another ice pack." He got up from the bed and walked out of the room. Donnie walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer.

"Meow meoww," Ice Cream Kitty handed Donnie an ice pack with some ice cream on it. Donnie wiped off the ice cream before thanking the kitty. He closed the freezer door and went back to Mikey's room. Donnie placed the ice pack to Mikey's ankle.

"Hey D, would you mind staying here with me for a bit?" Mikey asked. There were times that Mikey hated to be alone. He always enjoyed being around his older brother.

"Sure thing Mikey," Donnie smiled a bit.

…

Master Splinter decided to leave the dojo for a while. He was meditating for quite some time after Raphael and Casey explained what happened earlier that morning. He caught himself rubbing his eyes as he made his way towards the lab. What a crazy morning that was already.

"I am getting too old for this," he mumbled to himself. He opened the doors to his son's lab to see his eldest son and April there. Splinter sensed a bit of tension between the two. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yes Sensei, we're just having some coffee. Would you like me to make you a mug?" April said as she stood by the coffee maker while it finished brewing. Leo sat at Donnie's desk with his mug at hand waiting for the coffee to be done.

Splinter sniffed the air as the sweet aroma of fresh coffee filled the room. Normally he was a tea drinker, but no one can resist the smell of coffee, in this case, in the early afternoon. "Yes please. I would love one, April. Thank you."

April smiled as she poured some coffee for Splinter. "Sugar or cream?" she asked.

"I will have some sugar, thank you." He thanked her and took the mug. He sat by Leo while April prepared her coffee. Leo went to make his coffee with extra sugar and cream when April sat back down by the girl.

Leo sat beside his father as he sipped his overly sweetened coffee. He took a moment to breathe in the sweet smell of his french vanilla coffee. For him it was a soothing aroma that could calm any tension. It's funny how something so simple can make a grand effect.

"_Mmmmmmmm…..m'want coffee….."_

Everyone suddenly looked up from their mugs and shot their gaze to the mutant girl. She was sniffing the air, a small but frail smile crept upon her face as she mumbled about loving coffee in her duckie mug. She soon fell back into silence, but this time with a peaceful expression on her face. Leo would never notice, but he actually blushed.

"Well…it might be far fetched, but I'm guessing she loves coffee." Leo almost burst into laughter, but held it in to be respectful. The thought was too funny that among all other things in the world, coffee is what woke her up and made her smile. Even if it was just for a few seconds, she still smiled.

Splinter, believe it or not, let out a bit of a chuckle at that. "Hehehe, I do find that to be quite humorous my son." He got up from his seat to leave the lab. "I think she will be alright. With some time, I am sure she will be awake and well." And just before leaving the lab doors…

"Make sure she gets a nice hot mug of coffee when she wakes up. Hehehe" Splinter smiled as he left his students.

….

Later in the afternoon, Mikey and Donnie sat in the kitchen while Raph cooked. Cooking wasn't really his forte, but since Mikey was out of the job and Donnie hated to cook, he was the designated jackass to be the chef.

Raph pulled out a hot tray of blueberry muffins from the oven. Luckily, baking was easy enough for Raph. All he had to do was mix the ingredients and shove them in the oven for a few minutes and that was it. Plus, it was his favorite snack.

Mikey sniffed the air when Raph took out the muffins. "MMMMUUUUFFFFIIINNNNSSSS!" his mouth watered from the sight of them. He hopped over towards the muffins, making sure he stayed off his foot.

"Ohhh babeh, you just wanna get in mah mouth don't ya sweetheart." Mikey started talking seductively to the hot steamy muffins. "Mmmm, i just wanna lick dat muffin top and…."

"Oh good fucking lord! Shtap that!" Donnie smacked the back of Mikey's head.

"Ow!" Mikey rubbed the back of his head. "I'm still getting that muffin!" he declared. Raph rolled his eyes with a slight chuckle as he handed his baby brother a blueberry muffin.

"Have fun," Raph teased. Mikey nomed and nibbled his yummy delicious muffin. Donnie gave him that 'what the fuck' look.

"Ooookay, looks like I won't be having any muffins today." Donnie opened the freezer to get another ice pack for Mikey's ankle. Ice Cream Kitty licked Donnie's face before handing him another ice pack. That little frozen kitty loved her family.

"Meow meow!"

Donnie wiped off the ice cream on his face before closing the freezer and tossing Mikey the ice pack. "I'll be in the lab." he said soon after taking one muffin.

"Don't have too much fun with that muffin yo! You'll made April jealous! Hahaha!" Mikey called back teasing. Donnie blushed and shook his head.

"Oh shut up Mikey!"

….

Donnie went back into his lab to check on the girl. He saw Leo and April still there. "So, anything new here?"

Leo looked up from his coffee mug to answer his brother. "Yeah, kinda. She said she wanted coffee. But then she fell back asleep."

Donnie showed a confused look. "She wanted coffee? That's it?" He walked over to the girl in bed after placing the muffin on the night table next to her. He looked her over, checking her temperature and pulse.

"Yeah, that was it really. I guess she just loves coffee." April explained. She stood opposite Donnie, stroking the girl's hair and off her face. "Ya know, she's actually very beautiful. I think anyways." April admitted. The girl may be a mutant reptile, but she still had a beauty to her.

"She's really beautiful, wow. Errm….no no! I mean you're beautiful, erm...I mean. You're not ugly, and she's not ugly either….wait! I mean not that you're not gorgeous, you're hot!... *slaps face* why did I say hot….I mean you're not hot….no wait….you're very attractive….i mean… gaagghhh. Is it getting hot in here? Hehehe…. oh boy…."

April bursted out laughing. Donnie was just too cute when he was like that. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. God, she loved that turtle. She was thoroughly enjoying watching him trying to talk right. He was just so adorable.

"Donnie, do me a favor will ya?" April asked. Donnie stopped blubbering and looked at her.

"Yeah…?"

"Shut up," April smiled and poked his nose. Donnie blushed and smiled. He loved that red head.

"Anything you say...errm...uhh… shutting up now." He said before putting his fingers to his lips, making the sign of closing a zipper. April giggled as he did so. She poked him in places to make him laugh. Donnie held his sides trying to hold in his laughs. He failed miserably.

"Hehehehe shtap that!" Donnie protested, but April kept poking him. She moved around the unconscious girl to poke him more. Donnie seized the opportunity to grab her sides and show her no mercy. It was a full on tickle fight.

April laughed and squealed as she ran off into the living room. Donnie chased after her with outstretched arms. "Get back here you!" He laughed.

Leo was left alone in the lab with that look of 'what dafauq?' He sighed and made himself another cup of joe. He sat by the girl who seemed to now be sleeping peacefully. He sipped his coffee and then looked to the side to see a muffin.

"I guess no one else is gonna eat it," Leo shrugged. He set down his coffee and ate the muffin. "Wow, this is a damn good muffin." Not a second passed before his younger brother bursts through the door.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MAH LADEH MUFFIN?! SHE'S MINE YO! I SAW HER FIRST! 030"

Despite having a messed up ankle, Mikey tackled Leo to get what was left of that muffin. They rushed out of the lab and into the living room in a heap of a mess and somehow got into a tickle fight with April and Donnie.

Raph just stood at the entrance of the kitchen in his 'kiss the cook' apron while watching this crazy show he called family. Splinter stood beside him chuckling.

"Hehehe, never a dull moment here huh?" Raph laughed. He shrugged his shoulders as to say 'ehh, what the fuck' and got into the dog pile.

Splinter laughed to see his family having a good time and being their silly selves. He was truly humbled and blessed to live the life he has with his family.

No one would have known it just yet. But there was a peacefully sleeping mutant girl alone in the lab, listening to all the ruckus from the other room and smiling. She smiled in her sleep, dreaming.

Soon, those happy dreams will turn into nightmares...

TBC

(A/N) Lol i was drinking coffee and eating blueberry muffins while writing this X'D


	6. Nightmares and Reality

In a realm of shadows where one dwells, there are many things that hide in the darkness. Waiting and watching for you to let down your guard. Once vulnerable, one can easily be lost into the abyss of emptiness. There are those who have found the strength and power to plow through the darkness and back into the light. However, not all beings are so lucky.

She couldn't remember much of what happened. It felt as though she were hit on the head by a baseball bat. The pounding in her head never ceased, nor shown any mercy of stopping. She felt tired and dizzy. What was her name again? She couldn't remember….

"Liz….is that my name..?" she asked herself.

One step after the other she continued to walk in what seemed like an endless road to nowhere. She didn't know if she was inside or outside. Nothing seemed right to her. The space surrounding her felt empty and void of any life. It didn't take a scientist to tell her that she was completely alone.

Chills waved throughout her body as she felt a cold presence. She turned around with hesitation, hoping she wouldn't see anything. The lost gaze in her eyes soon turn to one of horror and freight. Liz picked up her feet and tried to run. Oddly enough, she couldn't. Her feet below her felt heavy and weak. It felt like gravity was working against her body, forcing her to slow down.

Even though she couldn't run fast, she still fought as hard as she could against the force holding her back. There was something after her, no, more than one thing. There were many black figures behind her. The faster she tried to run, the slower her body moved. All she could do was cry out in terror when they grabbed her.

Liz felt the ice coldness of their hands and claws wrapping themselves around her middle. Another set its sharp claws through her scalp and pulled her hair while it bled. Soon she was on the ground, tied and gagged. There was no way for her to escape. It was completely hopeless. A freezing cold hand groped her breast rough and violently. She thrashed in her bonds in any attempt to break loose.

She felt her heart beating painfully against her chest as terror struck her to the core. Another cold hand with claws groped her other breast after shredding and ripping off her shirt. Liz screamed in despair as those figures continued to torment her. The last of her clothes was painfully ripped off of her and tossed to the side. She laid on the ground completely exposed.

Tears streaked down her bruised and bloodied face as she looked down at the ground. A figure behind her began to touch her in places she never wanted to be touched. She thrashed frantically, trying to make them stop and get away. When the opportunity opened for her, she managed to kick one away.

A terrifying shriek rang and echoed amongst the black figures. A blade was aimed for her back. The evil thing raised its blade to end the miserable girl. Liz fought to move, but gravity and strength was against her again. She watched in sheer fear as the blade rushed through her body. A loud and agonizing cry escaped her throat. Blood poured out of her body like a waterfall. On the ground, a large pool of crimson blood formed. In the blood she saw her reflection.

"That's not me…..That's not ME!"

The face she saw staring back at her was that of a human like lizard. The pool of blood began to grow larger as so did the rest of her reflection. She held her hand to her wound as so did the lizard staring back at her.

"_YOU ARE NOT ME…!"_

Hot tears fell from her eyes and mixed with the blood before her. The lizard as her reflection, did the same. A strange feeling overwhelmed her as she began to choke on something. Gagging, desperate to breathe, she violently coughed out blood as so did the lizard. More tears burned her eyes at the very sight of the horrid creature staring at her. She screamed out in anger as she balled her fists and punched the reflection before her. The punch sent ripples and shockwaves throughout the blood and she felt pain where she hit the face of the lizard.

Completely bare, exposed and in pain. She found herself alone again for a short time until the blood spilled out of her more. A flood of blood spilled from her endlessly. She tried to cover the wound, to stop the bleeding. But the blade was still there, piercing her deeper everytime she touched it.

"_NO…..! LET ME GO…!"_

Soon she was drowning in a sea of her own blood. Still unable to break free from her bounds, she struggled to stay afloat and breathe. The black figures returned again, this time with large rotted fangs and blood stained claws. Their bodies looked horrid. A bony decaying hand with claws embraced her bare body and held her down.

….

Leo slept a bit awkwardly that night. The pain in his arm was getting more intense than what he thought it would be. He should have listened to Donnie. Maybe a sling would have helped. Very tired, but unable to sleep, he stared at his alarm clock on his night table.

"2-fucking-am….shhhhit. I'm gonna be so fucked tomorrow…. rrrmmmpphh…" he cursed and muffled in his pillow.

Aside from the pain keeping him awake, there were plenty of things on his mind to keep him occupied. He just couldn't shake them off. After some time, he was finally able to relax and hopefully drift to sleep until something caused him to be fully awake again and on high alert.

"_MMMRRRAAAAAAAGGHHH! GGGHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH….!"_

Leo shot out of his bed like a bullet and ran out the door. The once quiet lair turned into the center of a horror movie. Donnie was the first to bolt out of his room and into the lab as the screaming continued nonstop. Soon enough, everyone else was wide awake.

"What has happened?!" Splinter thundered out of his room.

Donnie rushed to the girls bedside. "I have no idea Sensei! But I need help!" The girl was having violent spasms and thrashing so much she nearly fell off the bed. "I need help holding her, now!" he ordered to the others.

Raph grabbed a firm hold on her as she spasmed and screamed. An aching heart struck him as he watched the girl he was holding crying out, pleading for mercy. There was a scared look in the girl's eyes as though she were staring at a monster.

"Donnie! Do something!" Raph shouted. He couldn't stand to see her like this.

"We have to calm her down, and you yelling isn't helping!" Donnie retorted back. Because of her spasms, some wounds were accidentally reopened and she began to bleed again. "God Damnit!" he cursed aloud.

Leo stepped in to help hold her still as she desperately tried to break free from their grasp. He held her with his good arm, trying his best to calm her. With strained effort, Leo brought his bad arm around her to keep her still. He winced in pain from his attempt. "Ahhk, damnit…"

"Leo, What are you doing?! You can't move that arm or else you'll inflict more damage to yourself!" Donnie scolded him. Despite what Leo had said earlier, Donnie threw a sling at him. "Put on the damn sling!"

Reluctantly, Leo did as he was told. He fumbled over trying to put on the cast, but the amount of the girl's flailing make it nearly impossible while trying to hold her. Leo ended up having to back away from her for a moment to put on the sling. Raph still held the girl as gently as he could in his firm arms.

Opposite side of Raph, Donnie tried to hold her as she continued to thrash in desperation and freight. She screamed out again. A long and painful cry rang through the lair it would have made the coldest of hearts shatter to the ground.

Splinter couldn't take much more. He quickly left Mikey's side to aid the others. The old rat's hand gently caressed the girl's face. Her skin was burning hot to the touch against Splinter's. He quickly grabbed a cold wet cloth to dab her face. The girl continued to fight against their touch, struggling to break free. Splinter wrapped his warm arms around her and held her tightly as she quaked and trembled breathlessly.

"It is alright child. You are just having a bad dream," Splinter cooed. He felt her shaking lessen as he spoke to her. The girl's breathing was raspy from all her screaming and crying. Splinter brought one hand to her head and stroked her hair softly. He continued to soothe her with soft fatherly care until she calmed down from her struggle.

As she rested still in Splinter's arms, Donnie opened his med kit to reclose her wounds and wrap them again. Cradling her in his arms, Splinter stayed with her till Donnie finished rewrapping her injuries. He cradled her and rocked her back and forth slowly in his warm embrace. The mutant girl slept soundly against his warm soft fur, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

"Thank you for calming her down Master Splinter." Donnie thanked as he began to put away his med kit. A look of pity showed on his face as he watched the girl curling into his fathers arms. It looked as though she were still very frightened.

"It is alright my son, you've done very well, all of you." Splinter looked to his sons. As a father and teacher, he was very proud of them. He looked down at the mutant girl who was sleeping in his arms. The poor thing looked like she had been through so much. Splinter slowly and carefully laid the girl back onto the bed and covered her with a warm blanket. "I will stay here with the girl for a little while longer. You all must get some rest."

Truth be told, everyone was certainly exhausted from this late night/ too early in the morning escapade. Sleeping sounded pretty good to them, especially Mikey who was by the door the whole time. He was the first out the door and back to his room. The other soon followed and went to their own respected rooms.

As the door closed before him, Splinter sat by the girl's bedside. "Not even a whole day you have been here, and I still do not know your name, child. I hope you wake up soon so we may introduce ourselves more properly." he spoke to her as she slept. His only response of course was her breathing.

Splinter sighed a moment, seeing that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. He could see that it was going to be another long morning for him. Not that he minded though. Afterall, he was a humble old rat.

At about 5am, Splinter returned to his room to catch at least a few extra hours sleep. Another day of training would begin perhaps a little later.

….

7am later that morning, Raph was the first one awake. The tray he made the muffins in was completely empty. He cringed at the mere thought of what on God's sweet Earth did Mikey do to all those innocent muffins. And then that image from American Pie involuntarily popped into his head.

"Oh dear God!" he slapped his head with sheer embarrassment of the thought. "Oh that poor violated pie, and now the muffin…." he started laughing as Donnie walked in. He looked at Raph with curiosity.

"The fuck is so funny?" he asked with an awkward look. Raph was trying his best to stop laughing as he covered his mouth.

"Oh shut up! Hahaha- it's nothing! Pfffttt…..!" Raph just couldn't get that disturbing image out of his head. 'Oh what in the fuck is wrong with me hahaha,' he thought to himself.

"Were you fucking drinking last night or what?" Donnie teased, but half accusing. Finally Raph's laughing calmed down to small chuckles.

"Oh shut the fuck up Donnie. You know I don't drink during the week," Raph teased back. Donnie responded by rolling his eyes with a grin.

"Hehehe, alright you drunk ass. Do you want coffee or what?" Donnie asked sarcastically from the countertop as he was preparing the coffee maker.

"Yeah, make it a tall one, hahahaha!" Raph joked. Donnie laughed at that too. He sat down at the table opposite Raph.

"So about last night…" Donnie began to mention.

"Yeah, I know. I can't really stop thinking about it either," Raph interrupted. "She's not looking good at all." He paused a moment. "I can't help but wonder where she came from. Call me a pessimist, but how do we know we can even trust her let alone trust her staying here? I mean, hasn't the thought crossed your mind that she 'could' be allied with any of our enemies or a prisoner maybe? If she were a pawn of some sort, I'd imagine there's a tracking device on her."

Donnie looked at him rather stunned. It was quite an interesting thing to be just a thought, and quite intricately well deducted. "Well, if she were to have a tracking device on her, it would have shown on her as well as the X-ray I put her under. Not to put down your deductions at all, I honestly wondered something similar, but I think it's safe to assume she's in the clear. At least for now until she wakes up." Donnie explained.

Raph nodded in agreement, " Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll just have to wait and see. Honestly though, I really hope this turns out to be nothing bad."

"I hear you. I hope the same." Donnie sympathized. The coffee maker beeped, signaling it was finished brewing. "Hehe, I'll go make you that tall mug now," he chuckled as he got up from his seat to make them their mugs.

The red and purple banded brothers sat with their hot mugs of coffee in peaceful silence until Mikey hopped into the kitchen. "Mornin'!"

"Morning," the others greeted in unison. Leo walked in after Mikey sat down. "From the looks of it, you guys didn't get much sleep either did you," Donnie saw how sluggish they looked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Leo plopped on his seat.

"Amen to that yo," Mikey opened up the freezer. "But I bet you had a good night's sleep, didn't cha kitty?!" He beamed as he greeted his frosty friend.

"Meooowww!" Ice Cream Kitty happily meowed and licked all over Mikey's face.

"D'aaawww kitty!" he squealed and licked her back. "Lele lelele leleleehhhhh…" Of course everyone was looking at him like 'what dafauq yo?' It was equally funny, yet disturbing. And then that image of the pie and the muffin popped into Raph's perverted head again.

"Oh dear God almighty in heaven pffft….!" He shook his head and left the kitchen with his coffee so no one could see how much he was laughing his ass off. "I'll be in the other room. You stay and keep doing…...whatever it is you call that."

Leo made himself a hot mug o' joe with the usual extra sweetness. They all had their coffee and breakfast before going to the dojo for their daily training sessions. The brothers kneeled before their Sensei in their utmost respect and honor for him. Splinter paced back and forth as he held his hands behind his back, as he usually did, looking over his sons.

"Today you will be split into teams of two. Leonardo and Michelangelo, you will be a team. Raphael and Donatello, you will be facing them. Prepare yourselves!" Splinter ordered. His sons stood in their fighting stances, prepared to spar.

"Hajime!"

….

In Donnie's dimly lit lab, not a sound could be heard except for the occasionally beeping that came from the monitors that helped to keep the girl alive. Donnie kept the lights low to allow her to sleep with ease with no blinding light. They didn't know when this girl was going to wake up. So for the time being as they began training in the dojo, they left her alone in the lab.

Liz was dreaming that she was on the very edge of a cliff. She looked down to see light fog hovering over a pit of deep black water. A rotten and decaying looking creature stood closely behind her. There was no point in moving or fighting back. The end was the end, and that was that. And so, it grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, and pushed her off.

Liz woke up in a painful jolt from the falling dream. She laid in the bed as still as possible. The place she was in was dark, she couldn't tell where she was. She stiffly shifted in her bed, soon realizing that she was in fact lying on a bed. Her hands roamed over the sheets and a warm blanket covering her and felt that she was wearing nothing but one large t-shirt.

Trying to move was proving to be difficult as she tried to get up. Her body felt stiff and restraint, but she managed to sit up. Trailing her hands over her body in the dark, she realized that she was covered in bandages. If she were able to see clearly, everything around the room would have been spinning out of control. Her head felt heavy as her body felt weak.

"Come on Liz, don't be a wimp," she lectured herself. One leg after the other, she managed to move her legs off the bed before attempting to stand up. Her first attempt failed as her weak knees shook and gave up on her. Second attempt, the same result. Third, fourth, fifth. Finally the sixth time was the charm and she stood on her feet with strained effort.

"Come on Liz, if you can move, then fucking move," she cursed at herself. There was no way she was going to allow herself to be a victim. "Fuck this shit…..fuck everything…" It finally dawned on her that she was hooked up to something after painfully moving away from the I.V she had no idea was there before.

With one swift yank, she pulled out the needle from her arm, "Gaaghhh fffffffffuck!" She winced in pain from her idiotic decision. After a moment, she started looking around. The light was very dim, but with her clouded vision, she wasn't able to make out much except for a strip of light.

"Finally, a fucking door," she slowly limped towards the door of the lab. Liz was ready to bolt it out of there and make a run for it. Unfortunately her body told her otherwise. It was amazing that she could even stand. The light stung her eyes as she got closer to the door. She squinted her eyes trying to see clearer. After being in the dark for so long, it pained her eyes as she got closer to the light. Her fingers grazed over the edges….

She opened the door.

The light from the living room blinded her as she shielded her eyes with her arm. She didn't realize it, but her arm was bleeding from where she pulled out the I.V. The heaviness feel in her head began to weigh her down. Liz groggily leaned against the lab door before slowly sliding down to the floor. She sat on her knees, her head resting against the door. Sleep wanted to take her over once again, but this time she was fighting it.

"I'm vulnerable if I sleep. I gotta stay awake…" she forced her body to comply, but it only made her more tired. Her eyes slowly closed, but she soon forced them open. "Stay up….fucking stay up…"

The sound of fighting filled her ears before someone made on short shout. Then the fighting noises stopped. Liz had no idea what she heard, she was confused. She soon heard footsteps, they seemed to be coming closer. It felt like ice had frozen her over as the thought of those suited men came into mind. Her body shook and trembled, fear taking over her.

…..

"Yame!" Splinter commanded. They had been training for about five hours. It was around 2pm when they finished their training. "You all did very well my sons. Your training is complete for today." The four brothers bowed in unison before leaving the dojo. Mikey and Raph stayed behind a bit to mess around and have fun wrestling. Leo was the first to exit the dojo. As soon as he reached the end of the stairs, he froze.

Leo stood motionless as he stared at the mutant girl groggily leaning against the lab doors on her knees. Donnie exited the dojo soon after and stopped in his tracks as well. The girl started trembling, scared of what these creatures were and if they intended to hurt her. She backed away as the purple banded one made his first move.

"It's ok, it's ok. You're in a safe place. We're not going to hurt you," Donnie assured in his soft voice. He raised his hands as to show that he wasn't going to do anything as he started to walk towards her a bit closer. He continued walking slowly, inching his way closer until he kneeled to the ground just in front of her.

The girl flinched as Donnie brought his hand to her shoulder as a sign of a friendly gesture. His heart dropped at the sense she was still very defensive and untrusting. Of course he couldn't blame her, but still. His hand remained soft, yet firm on her shoulder. He wanted very much to help her.

"Are you alright? Can you tell us your name?" Leo asked as he slowly approached behind Donnie and sat down beside them. He spoke as softly and calmly as possible as to not frighten her. His heart sank to see how frightened and out of sorts she appeared to be. As a good person, he wanted to help her as best he could.

Liz felt very unsure of these creatures. She could have sworn she was still dreaming. But feeling the purple one's hand on her shoulder, reality set in, and she couldn't find any logical explanation to give herself. She lowered her head and sighed.

"Liz…." she answered in a weak voice.

The two brothers looked at each other for a moment. Of course they wanted to ask many questions, but thought better of it. Asking too many questions all at once would probably make the girl panic. So they kept their questions at a minimum.

"Liz, I'm Leo. And this is my brother Donnie. We found you yesterday morning in the sewer tunnels. Is it alright if we ask you what happened?" Leo asked calmly. He, in no way, wanted to stress her out. Patience was a virtue he always believed. The rest of his questions would just have to wait.

"No….." was all Liz responded. She had no reason at all to trust them. Although they seemed nice, she still wasn't going to let her guard down. For all she knew, they could be planning to hurt her. She wasn't going to take any risks. The moment she got the chance, she planned to run.

Leo sighed, slightly in frustration. But he couldn't find himself to blame her. After all, he still didn't know what really happened to her, or how bad it might have been. So he remained patient. Donnie decided to speak up. "It's ok if you don't want to talk about it. We understand. Just please know that you're in a safe place. We'll do the best we can to help you. Ok?"

Liz never raised her eyes. She kept her gaze on the ground without answering him. Despite being untrusting, she somehow felt comfort in their soothing voices. Especially from the blue banded one. His voice seemed familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew she heard his voice somewhere. Liz gave up on the thought.

Donnie and Leo looked at each other. It was evident that they were going to get nowhere with this girl. At least not yet. So all questions and trying to get through to her was going to take some time. The least they could do for now was try to make her feel welcome and comfortable.

"Liz, are you hungry? You're welcome to eat anything you like, just say the word." Leo offered. Liz still stared at the ground. Finally she looked at her own hands. Her vision finally cleared as they adjusted to the light. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she rapidly observed herself. The two brothers saw how distraught she seemed.

"Are you ok?" Donnie asked softly.

"What happened?! What's wrong with my hands?! They're green! What's happening?!" Liz started to panic, rapidly breathing trying to get enough oxygen. Donnie and Leo looked at her with concern.

"You were mutated. You didn't know?" Leo asked with a sincere look on his face. He wondered how she couldn't have known. His only response from her was when she finally looked up at him, their gaze locked on each other. The look on her face was that of someone who was lost.

"B-bathroom…." Liz spoke up in a shaky voice. She had to see for herself. Donnie offered his hand to her. He felt a pang of joy when she took his hand and let him help her stand. Leo helped her stay on her feet opposite Donnie. They led her to the bathroom. Respectfully they left her alone in peace, but stood by the door in case she needed help.

Liz was glad they left her be. The moment she closed the door, her attention went immediately to the mirror. She glanced at her hands one more time. "This isn't real." She looked down at the counter before looking up to the mirror. Tears streaked down her face as she slowly raised her head. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the mirror. She quickly brought her hands to her mouth as to silence her screams. However, it was to no avail.

The two brothers rushed in when they heard her scream. They found her pinned against the wall as she stared at the mirror in shock and disbelief. Then they soon realized full well that Liz had no idea that she was mutated. Their hearts sank at the sight of her. Leo was the first to come to her side and hold her by the shoulders. Soon enough, the others ran to where they heard the screams. Donnie stood by the door blocking their path to the bathroom. He signaled for them to keep their distance. A crowd was the last thing this girl needed.

Liz was blinded by tears as the realization hit her. The events of that night, the reality of it, hit her like a ton of bricks that weighed heavily on her. A panic attack struck her hard as she struggled to breathe. Liz felt like she was contained in a small hot oven, suffocating the life out of her. All she wanted was to bust out of her prison and go home.

Leo kept his hands on her shoulders. He didn't try to hold or caress her. Instead he allowed her to cry it out. "Just breathe….. We'll help you get through this. You're not alone. Everything will be alright. I'm right here…" he spoke softly to her.

It finally dawned on Liz where she had heard his voice. She heard that same voice, those same words in what she thought was a dream that day she fell. Liz quickly turned to face him with wide teary eyes. Leo greeted her gaze with that bright Colgate smile of his. Mikey was by the door alongside Raph, Splinter and Donnie. He decided to walk in and kneel on the floor beside them.

"We're all here. We'll help you out. Promise," Mikey smiled sweetly. He was careful not to put too much pressure on his ankle as he kneeled down beside her. Liz's eyes were hazy and blood shot red. The girl looked as if she had been thrown into a hurricane. Mikey wished she would say something, but he didn't want to do anything to make her upset.

Liz felt overwhelmed. Sad, angry, lost, basically every feeling was mashing onto one plate within her. It was unbearable to contain it all. She breathed in sharply through her teeth as a rush of pain went through her. Tears welled up in her eyes in silence. She hid her face in her hair so that no one could see her cry.

Despite her attempt, Mikey and Leo noticed this. They said nothing though. Instead they got up off the floor and offered their hand to her. Reluctant at first, Liz gave her hand to them. She was surprised at how gentle they were. The orange and blue banded turtles slowly and carefully held her to stand up. Liz never looked away from the ground.

"Ouch…" Mikey winced. He accidentally put more pressure on his foot while trying to help her. "Hey, you got her, Leo?"

"Yeah. You go ahead and rest your foot."

"Thanks man," Mikey thanked his older brother and headed towards the couch.

Leo wrapped his arm around Liz to hold her up. He could see that she was trying to best to stand up on her own. He actually felt a bit proud of her for not acting like some damsel in distress. But still, he thought it best to stay by her side for now. As he helped her out of the bathroom, they were met by his family.

"Is everything alright?" Splinter was the first to speak up out of the group. Liz kept her eyes to the ground to show no signs of any emotion or vulnerability. This Splinter noticed, but he dared not say anything just yet.

Liz hated this feeling of being watched and looked at, but it couldn't be helped. No matter how you look at it, she was at their mercy. All she wanted was to go home. If she were naive, she could have easily told them about her home and mother. And if they were dangerous, they would hurt her mother. They would have to go through her dead body first.

"Let's go back to the lab for a little while. You still need time to rest and heal." Donnie could clearly see how tense she was. It was obvious that they haven't gotten her trust yet. But still, he couldn't just stand idly by when he saw someone hurt.

Liz only nodded in silence. For now, she would comply to their commands. But soon enough, she would find her way out of there. All she could think of was her mother. All alone at home, scared to death. The thought made her crumble and quake.

Leo noticed her body was starting to weigh heavily again. He acted quickly and held her firmly but softly as she fell unconscious in his arms.

"Let's take her back to the lab….."


	7. A New Dawning

(direct continuation of previous chapter)

Raph came to Leo's side in an instant. Liz was unconscious once again in Leo's arms. Raph gently wrapped his arms around her, lifted her off the ground and back into the lab. As he made his way towards the lab, Raph looked at the sleeping form he carried. He had a sincere look for her. He softly tightened his grip on her, almost in a protective way.

Raph gently laid her back down onto the medical bed she was in before. He fluffed her pillow and tucked her in with a warm blanket. It took a short moment for him to realize just how mushy he was acting. A quick slap on the face would cure that in no time, reverting back to his usual tough self. Luckily no one was really watching him.

Just before Raph could turn around and leave the girl in peace, Donnie walked in to check on her. He thought that maybe he should stay with her, at least for a little while after Donnie finished looking her over. "So, how do you think she's holding up Don?"

"Well, stable for now. She just needs some time to rest. Do you want to stay with Liz for a little while? I'm going to meet up with April in a bit and go pick up some more medical supplies. We're running a little low." Donnie asked as he picked up his empty medical bag. Raph nodded.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll call you if anything changes. Wait, that's her name?"

"Yeah; she told us a little while ago. And thanks, I really appreciate it Raph." Donnie smiled. "Oh, another thing. Make sure Mikey doesn't move his ankle, and that Leo doesn't try to strain his right arm again. Maybe they'll listen to you better, hehehe."

"Heh, yeah, I'll do that. No worries."

"Alright man, thanks. I'll be back in a few hours. Later." Donnie bade him goodbye.

"Later." Raph watched as his brother left. He turned to look at Liz. That look of pity and sincerity crossed his face again. She was sleeping, but she looked like she was in a lot of pain and discomfort. Raph took a chair and sat beside her bed. He cupped her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over her bandaged fingers softly with care.

"Well, Liz," he started, "I hope you feel better soon…"

…

About an hour passed and Raph decided to check on the others. Opening the doors out of the lab, he walked towards the living room where Mikey was reading a comic book. "Hey, how's the ankle?"

"Better, so no worries bro. I'm good," Mikey smiled.

"Good to hear little brother. So where's Leo? Haven't seen him since I took Liz off his hands." Raph wondered.

"He just now went to meditate with Master Splinter. I'm guessing they'll be in there until the next Ice Age, so don't wait up too long yo hehe." Mikey teased.

"Hehe, alright. So now that I know you guys are doing fine, move your ass over!" Raph shouted in his tough ass voice. He jumped onto the couch right on top of Mikey. "Now gimmie the remote! Hahahha!"

"Gaaaghhh! Get your fat ass off a me yo!" Mikey laughed and cursed at the same time while being crushed by Raph's massive weight. "Here! Suck it!" He shouted as he threw the remote at Raph's head.

"Ow damnit! You little fucker! COM'ERE YOU!" The two had a massive wrestling match on the couch for who knew how long. It was fun though, they did this alot. Perhaps about a half hour passed before Donnie, April, and Casey walked into the lair.

"Soooooo, what did I miss?" April laughed watching the two duke it out on the couch. They looked over the couch to see they had company.

"Oh hey April! Join in the wrestling match for the all time championship of the ULTIMATE UNIVERSAL REMOTE!" He proclaimed as he held up his prize as though it were a shining trophy of gold.

"Casey! Get in here and help me get the damn remote!" Raph barked.

"I'm on it! GOONGALAAAAAAA!" Casey shouted out as he jumped into the wrestling pit of no return.

Donnie just looked at them all as if to say 'what the fuck?' But soon remembered something very important. "Raph?! When was the last time you checked on Liz?!" he asked very worried. Raph looked at him from the ground while pinning Casey down for the remote.

"Ummmmm…...shhhhhit," he cursed under his breath. He got off the floor and dashed to the lab. His heart was beating like crazy, regretting for neglecting her for no idea how long. But soon he calmed down to see that she was still exactly as he left her. He came up to her bedside and placed a hand on her forehead.

"How is she?!" Donnie rushed in with the new medical supplies he gathered.

"She's fine, Donnie. Temperature seems normal, she's breathing ok, and her heart rate is stable. I told you I could handle this." He said with slight frustration. But mostly it was with himself for not paying much attention.

"It's fine, Raph," Donnie sighed. "Go ahead back to the living room. I need to run some tests." Raph only nodded and walked back out to the living room. Leo was coming down the stairs with Splinter.

"You did well on our meditation today my son. I see you more focused as we continue this practice." Splinter praised.

"Thank you Sensei," Leo smiled brightly.

"And now, for a cheesicle," Splinter smiled as he walked into the kitchen.

Leo went to sit down in front of the tv, but couldn't find the remote. "Mikey, where's the remote?"

"If it was in your ass you'd know where it was hahahahaha!" Casey laughed.

"Really funny you asshole. Now give me the remote." Leo held out his hand, expecting for someone to hand him the remote.

"Not happening bro," Raph walked in with the remote. "It's almost 5 and the news is about to start. No one changes the channel." He said sternly as he turned on the tv to the news channel.

"Why the heck do you want to see the news all the time Raph?!" Mikey complained.

"Because, smartass, its important to see what's going on. Now shut up." Raph turned up the volume. It was the usual reports of robberies and car crashes until a breaking news alert filled the screen.

….

Liz began to stir in her bed rather uncomfortably. She didn't seem to feel as threatened or defensive as before. 'Maybe I was overreacting….' she thought. It took a few tries, but she managed to get off the bed again.

One step after the other, she walked to the lab doors again. The doors were already opened this time. She leaned against the door frame before slowly walking down the concrete stairs. Her vision was fuzzy from just waking up, but soon her eyes adjusted. In the living room, she saw everyone watching the news as a breaking news broadcast was about to make its report.

'_**Breaking News: Young 16 year old, Elizabeth Gordon was reported missing late Saturday evening. She was last seen in the public post office at around 5pm. Officials say they have evidence of struggle and perhaps even kidnapping when broken mail, clothing, etc was found torn on the ground in a nearby alley way. Evidence shows that these few objects did in fact belong to the missing girl. We're now going live with the mother who has a message for her daughter…**_

"_**Lizzie, honey. If you're watching this, know that I'm not going to stop looking for you. I promise, I'm going to bring you back home no matter what it takes. And you, for whoever did this….. I'll never forgive you. You WILL be brought to justice and I will not rest until you do. So take my warning now…. Give me back my daughter….."**_

_**Reporter: 'If anyone has any news at all to missing Elizabeth Gordon, aka Liz, please contact the police immediately…."**_

…_**..**_

Liz was frozen in place as she heard the news. Her heart shattered like glass on stone at the very sight of her mother. That look on her face, so hostile, broken, desperate. Most of all, sadness. She never saw her mother like that before. Never. All she wanted to do right then was run to her mother and tell her she was ok. But that would be a cruel sick joke.

April had an uneasy feeling as she saw the news. Then she turned around for some reason. Her eyes landed on Liz as she trembled, holding onto herself for dear life it seemed. But when Liz met April's gaze, she quickly turned around and went back into the lab, closing the doors behind her. While the others were watching the news, April left them unnoticed, and walked to the lab.

In the lab, Liz sank and buried herself in the sheets. She wrapped herself in a tight cocoon, hiding her face deep in the pillow to silence her crying. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard the door open. It hurt to hold her breath, but she dared not make a sound. Despite her hopes, footsteps came closer until a gentle hand rested on her back.

"Liz…?"

Liz seemed to calm down at the girls soft voice. She released her breath, making a choked sob. In an instant, the girls other hand was on her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Liz….are you ok?!" April whispered in alarm, not wanting to be too loud. Liz made no response to her. She only laid in bed with her back facing this girl. All she wanted was for this girl to leave and let her cry in peace. Liz shifted in her bed a little as to move away from April's touch.

"Liz…..are….are you that girl that's reported missing…?" April wasn't sure of that at all. It was just a wild guess considering her name. But she went with her gut feeling. "Elizabeth?"

At that moment, Liz turned to face her. Their eyes met closely for the first time. It felt like a wave of ice phased right through her as she looked into Liz's eyes. There was no emotion. Her eyes were as hollow as the grave. It made April feel very uneasy, but she wasn't about to leave this girl in the dust.

"I guess I was right…." April sighed. An unsettling chill went up her spine looking at her like this. It was evident that she tell the guys immediately. But now, it seemed, that she was in a very difficult situation. She had to tell the others, but didn't want to leave her. And now there was the case of Liz's mother. How could they tell her? How could they let her know about her own daughter being mutated and the cause of it? The entire situation, this puzzle, was very fragile.

"Do…. you want me to leave?" April asked unsure, but wanted to do something for her. Of course her only response was Liz turning her back to her again.

"Alright," April sighed, "I'll go bring you something to eat." At that she left the lab without another word. Leaving the doors slightly open, April walked towards the kitchen. There she saw Mikey with Ice Cream Kitty at the kitchen table. She sighed while preparing a few things for Liz to eat.

"Everything ok, April?" Mikey asked concerned from hearing her sigh.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean…..maybe…." she began to trail off.

"I know, it's Liz isn't it? I saw the broadcast too. It's pretty obvious it's her." Mikey admitted. April looked at him surprised.

"You figured it out too, huh?" April finished making some toast and tea for Liz. "Did the others figure it out?"

"Just now after watching the news. It adds up. So….what do you think we should do about this? I mean, she has a family." Mikey stated.

"I really don't know, Mikey. For now, let's just see how things go. And it'll be her decision on what she wants to do." April said as she carried the food onto a tray. "I'll be back in a bit."

April carried the tray of food to the lab. Once again she was greeted by Liz's back and cold shoulder. She set the tray on the night table beside the bed. "I brought you something to eat. I bet you haven't eaten in a while. I'm sure you're hungry…"

Liz was stubborn. She wanted nothing more than to protest, but her stomach betrayed her as it started growling and roaring from the scent of food. "Mmmmmpphh…"

"Hehe, I guess I was right yet again," April giggled. "Come on and sit up." she suggested. Liz reluctantly sat up straight on the bed. It hurt her sides to do so. She could barely move around without accidentally pulling on her stitches. She made her best effort not to show any sign of pain however, she was always a terrible actress.

"You alright? Do you need something for the pain?" April asked concerned. Liz lowered her head to avoid her gaze.

"M'fine…."

April set the tray on Liz's lap. The sweet smell of toast and maple cinnamon oatmeal made her feel warm inside. With shaky hands, Liz picked up the spoon and ate. She never realized how hungry she was until after that first bite. How long had it been since her last meal? Two days? Three? She ate every last bite of her meal and drink.

"Thank you…." Liz spoke in a near whisper. April smiled and moved to stroke her hair.

"No problem hun." April kept stroking her hair. She was surprised that Liz allowed her to do so. It felt so good to have her head petted that way. Liz couldn't say no to it. April stroked her hair a while longer before realizing that her hair was filled of filth and dirt.

"My gosh, you're still in bad shape. How would like to take a bath? Hm?" April asked in a sweet smile. Truth be told, Liz felt gross and dirty. She wished for a bath. April seemed very nice to her. Liz felt like maybe she could trust her. She looked up to April and nodded.

"Alright, I'll help you up." April left the lab to get the water hot and ready in the bathroom. She took out soaps and sponges and set them on the bathroom countertop. When the hot water filled the tub, she turned off the water and went back to the lab.

"Ok hun, the bath is ready," April offered her hand. Liz couldn't wait to get cleaned. She felt awful. With April's help, she got off the bed. They walked together out of the lab and towards the bathroom. But before they walked in, Liz stopped a moment to look around.

"Where are the others? Are we alone?" Liz asked with slight panic. April held her hand.

"It's probably around 7pm now. They guys are most likely out getting Pizza Gyoza at Murakami's. But I don't think they'll be back until really late tonight. So it'll be just you, me, and Master Splinter." She said with a kind smile.

Liz nodded her head without much expression. They continued on to the bathroom. April sat her down on the toilet seat while getting the sponges wet. She gestured for Liz to take of her shirt. Liz hesitated. She didn't want to be naked in front of this stranger, but she didn't seem to be a threat. Besides, they were both girls. Unsure, she removed her large shirt. Liz was disgusted with that she saw. Lizard hide, a tail, green skin, scales….she was hideous. The bandages and wraps that covered most of her body was slightly pink from her blood. She was thankful that the wraps hid away her body from sight. But still….it didn't help much.

"Alright, Liz, you ready?" April asked. Liz nodded and slowly stood up. The tub wasn't entirely full. "I didn't want to fill it all the way. We have to be careful not to ruin your bandages. Do you mind if I help you scrub your hair and back?" April figured that there were some places that Liz wasn't able to clean herself. She was right or course, Liz could barely move her arms around.

"Ok…"

April took a cup of water and slowly poured it down her hair. The warm water flowing from her head down to her body felt so good. April's hands were soft and gentle as they caressed her head with soap. April poured more water down her hair as dirty water flowed to the tub. "Wow, I might need to refill the tub with fresh water." April pulled the plug, draining the dirty water and then filled it up again with clean warm water.

Liz couldn't express how grateful she felt for this girl's kindness. Liz's hair covered her face while April lightly scrubbed her back. Liz took a sponge, filled it with soap, and began to scrub her arms and legs. Her skin felt so strange, so different. It wasn't natural. She scrubbed harder and harder until it hurt, but still kept on scrubbing. Liz was so focused on cleaning herself, she didn't hear April calling to her.

"Liz! Liz stop! You're hurting yourself! Stop!" April grabbed her arms to keep her from scrubbing. Liz fought against her the best she could, but April was a lot stronger than her. Liz allowed April to take away the sponges, but then started to claw at her skin as it started to bleed.

"Get this thing off! This isn't my body! This isn't me! Graaaghh-haa! Pleeeeease!" Liz cried, tears streaking down her face as she tried desperately to get out of her scaly prison. She thrashed in the tub, splashing water everywhere on the floor.

"PLEEEASE, I JUST WANT TO GO HOME AHH-HAA!" She cried, her face filled with despair. April couldn't take this.

"_**SPLASH"**_

Liz's eyes were wide open, stunned. April jumped into the tub on top of Liz as she held her tightly in a hug. A few moments passed by in complete silence as April held her there.

"Wh-what….what are...you doing….?" Liz choked.

"I'm hugging you, stupid! What does it look like I'm doing?!" April squeezed her in her arms tighter, not daring to let her go. April knew full well that she couldn't say anything like 'Everything will be ok, I know how you feel, You'll get used to this, etc etc etc.' All she could do in truth was to just be there. She didn't have to say a damn word. And that was enough for Liz. She started crying again. Liz shakily raised her arms and wrapped them around April.

No words were necessary. They held each other for as long as they wanted. They didn't care how long. But after some time, they eventually got out of the tub. April took her yellow brush and began brushing Liz's brown hair. Even after the knots in her hair were combed out, April still kept on brushing. It felt very good to Liz.

After they dried up, April opened her bag and handed Liz some new clothes. A comfortable pair of grey yoga pants, and a large T-shirt with a duck on it. April caught Liz blushing when she saw the shirt.

"Is the shirt ok?" April asked. Liz kept on blushing.

"I...I love ducks…" she admitted. April couldn't help but smile and giggle a little. Liz was so adorable to her. After Liz put on her new clothes, they both walked to the living room together.

"Ahh, I see you are awake and well my child." Splinter greeted her while he sat with his tea. Liz wrapped her arms around herself, as though to shrink and hide away, but April was by her side.

"Yep, she's doing alright. Excuse us Master Splinter, but I need to change her bandages. We'll join you soon."

Splinter nodded and returned his attention to his soap opera stories. April led Liz back to the lab again and set her on the table. With much care and effort, April cleaned and changed all of Liz's bandages. April would apologize every now and then when Liz flinched or hissed in pain. Liz always assured her that she was fine.

"You're all done. Let's join Master Splinter in the living room." April suggested. Liz felt unsure. This Splinter person was a huge rat, he was scary looking. April could read her expression like a book. "I promise, he's a very nice man. He's been like another father to me. You don't have to worry at all hun."

"Mmm….ok.." Liz answered shyly. She still had her reservations though, but decided to trust in April. April took Liz's hand in hers as she led her out of the lab and into the living room. They sat closely together on the couch while watching a cheesy soap opera with Splinter.

"How are you feeling, Elizabeth?" Splinter asked. Liz curled in closer to April.

"I'm….alright….thank you…" she paused a moment. "Wait...how do you know my name?"

"You are a terrible liar my child. I know that is not the case." he paused to sip his tea. "And as for your name, I saw the news. Aside from the name, it was obvious." Splinter stated. Liz's face turned red. They knew who she was now. She feared for her mother's safety now more than ever. She began trembling in April's arms.

"What's the matter? Are you ok?" April asked concerned as she held her.

"My mom….what about my mom?! I swear! If anything bad happens to her I'll…..!" April cut her off.

"That's enough, Liz. Nothing bad will happen to your mom. I promise you that." April looked into her eyes with sincerity. Liz could feel the truth in her eyes. Her knees went weak as she slid down, April going down with her. Tears flowed as she buried her face in the crook of April's neck.

"Ahh-heh mom…..sh-she can't see m-me like…..this. Wh-what…..would she….I mean….Mmhhhhh!" she cried in between hitched breaths. Liz couldn't imagine what her mother would think, or what she was thinking right in that moment.

"Shhh, I'm right here, Liz. Just breathe," April held her tightly in her arms, rubbing her back. She couldn't say 'everything was going to be ok.' What a careless lie that would have been. "Let it out Lizzie, I'm here…" Liz allowed her tears to burst, whaling her sorrows into April's embrace. April was like a lifeline to her now, she dared not let her go.

Splinter came and kneeled beside them. He placed his paw on Liz's shoulder. She flinched for a moment, but relaxed. Seeing the warmth in his eyes put her at ease. Liz felt safe with them for the most part. The suited men still went through her mind all the time. She was truly terrified of them.

"H-how…..how did this even happen…..?" Liz asked, not particularly to anyone specific. April and Splinter looked at each other for a moment.

"Elizabeth, do you not remember how you were mutated?" Splinter asked her in a soft voice. Liz cuddled into April more while thinking. Ice cold chills ran through her body as she replayed the scene in her head.

"I….I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet…...I'm...I'm sorry…" Liz answered him. It was painful to talk about, let alone think about it. That moment she hated herself for being so weak. She truly wished she could be stronger. Splinter brought a blanket and gently wrapped her up in it.

"It is alright, Elizabeth. You do not have to say anything if you do not wish to. Just know that if and when you are ready to speak of it, we will be here to listen." Splinter spoke in his soft fatherly voice. Liz never knew what it was like to have a father, but if she had to guess, he would be just like Splinter.

"Th-ank...you…" Liz cried. She moved away from April for a moment to give the large old rat a hug. Splinter didn't expect the action at all, but he accepted it and hugged her back. He stroked her hair softly as she buried her face in his warm soft fur. The sound of his heart beat was soothing to her. The feeling of his hand through her hair was loving. A special place was forming in her heart for those two with her.

"It is alright child." Splinter rubbed her back softly. "Now, how about we prepare dinner together? Hm?" Splinter asked. The tenderness in his voice made Liz smile.

"I would like that a lot," Liz looked up to him and smiled.

"See? You look much better, little one, when you smile." said Splinter. He held her hand to help her stand. "Let us go to the kitchen. We will make anything you like. Hehe, however, most of our food options involve pizza." Splinter chuckled.

"Yeah, blame the chef, Mikey. Hehe, that goob can never get enough pizza in his stomach." April teased. Liz smiled.

"Pizza sounds really good to me."

All three of them went into the kitchen and heated up some pizza. They sat together at the table as they quietly enjoyed their dinner. Liz broke the silence.

"Guys….umm..I just...I just wanted to say...thank you….thank you so much for taking care of me. I'm...so grateful to you all…." Liz sobbed. She quickly tried to wipe away her tears, but they just kept on flowing. April took a small napkin to her face.

"It's alright, hun. No more tears, hm?" April spoke softly. Liz nodded her head and sniffled. April was like a big sister to her. She felt safe and protected with April and Splinter by her side like this. It made her feel warm inside. But still, the fear and terror remained within her, harshly teasing her with each ounce of happiness she might feel. The fear remained, leaving the joy in its shadow. It was sheer torment.

Liz was starting to feel sleepy. She swayed slightly from side to side as sleep captivated her. "Mmmm….can...can I go to bed….?" she asked tiredly.

"Of course! Come on, I'll help you get to bed." April wrapped one arm around Liz's middle, careful not to touch her deep wounds. Liz leaned against April for support as they walked to the lab and onto her makeshift bed. April sat her on the bed and tucked her in. "Me and the guys will set up a better bed for you later on, ok?"

"I'm alright. This bed is fine. Don't worry too much for me…." Liz said barely above a whisper. She could barely keep her eyes open any longer. April couldn't help but smile.

"Good night, Liz. Sleep well," April patted her head.

"G'nght..." Liz mumbled. Not another second passed before she was fast asleep. April smiled warmly at Liz as she slept. Leaving the door slightly open, April left the lab to rejoin with Master Splinter.

"So? What are you thinking?" April asked Splinter as she walked in.

"I think, we have quite the predicament on our hands, April." Splinter paused before continuing. "We have a human girl turned mutant in our home. She has a family. There is no easy way to alert her mother about this. Aside from this, there is the Kraang to consider. From the time she left her home and went missing, the Kraang must have either captured her and mutated her purposefully. Or, it was a horrible accident. Either way, we must find out what Elizabeth had seen that day and where. She was just very lucky to have gotten away from them when she did." Splinter explained. April nodded in response.

"Extremely lucky…" April agreed.

Splinter sighed and lifted his cup of tea to his lips, "Perhaps the best course of action tonight, is no action at all. Get some rest April, some sleep may put things into better perspective." He stood up from his seat and made his way out of the kitchen. "I will stay up until the others come back."

"Yes, Master Splinter. Good night," April bowed respectfully. Splinter gave her a small nod, and retreated to the sanctuary of his dojo. With that, April gathered some pillows and a blanket on the couch. She sent a text to her dad saying that she was sleeping over. After she got a reply from him, saying it was ok, she bundled up on the couch and drifted to sleep.

Hours passed and it was late in the night. Four dark shadows returned to their home to see all was well and quiet. Their night of patrol was a long one. The following day would be even longer. But for now, rest was needed. And slowly daylight returned to the city as the night's watchmen settled into the darkness.


	8. Those Awkward Moments

The turtles returned home very late in the night. Their patrol was much longer than they anticipated. Rather than their ordinary patrols, they were investigating where Liz was possibly mutated, and why the Kraang were in that location. Hopefully there would be some leads as to the Kraang's new whereabouts.

(That night)

"We start off at E 34th Street, and then down towards 32nd. That's where the reporter said the officers were investigating. We start at the post office where she was last seen, and then go from there." Leo instructed. The others nodded in response. "Alright, let's move."

Shadows among shadows, the four brothers leaped from one rooftop to the other until they reached their destination. Quietly they landed on the hard cold concrete after jumping off the fire escapes on the sides of the buildings. No stone would be left unturned in this investigation.

"Leo, there's barely anything here. The police must have already bagged and taken whatever evidence was left of the scene." Donnie explained.

"We have to keep looking." Leo commanded.

"Hey, guys! I think I found some left over mutagen. And there's some glass stained with it." Mikey called over to the others. They came to where Mikey kneeled beside some glass shards stained with mutagen mixed with blood. "Heh, you would think the cops would have seen that."

"Yep, you would think," Raph cut in. "And that manhole is half open." He pointed to the manhole cover toward the end of the alley. "I'm guessing that's where Liz got away." Raph kneeled down beside the sewer lid and noticed burn marks on the ground. "Damn…." he cursed under his breath.

"That explains a majority of her injuries…" Donnie approached behind Raph. He kneeled down opposite side of Raph with a grim look on his face. "She must have been so scared…." he said to particularly no one in a low voice, looking down. His fingers grazed over the shot marks on the ground. An unpleasant chill went down his spine at the thought of being shot multiple times without being able to defend.

"Poor Liz…" Mikey sympathized. He really couldn't imagine what that must have been like for her. Being shot at by the Kraang was no big deal for them at all. It was easy to dodge the blasts, but then again, they were trained for that sort of thing. Liz wasn't.

Leo seemed to be more focused on the task at hand. "We check the surrounding buildings in this area except for apartments and stores. The Kraang must have had a storage house or something nearby. Let's split up four ways. Keep your T-phones on hand in case you find anything." Leo instructed. The others nodded their heads in agreement and went off their separate ways from each other.

Mikey had no luck in finding anything remotely close to anything 'Kraangy' as he would put it. But he did find some delicious pizza burritos from a closed convenient store and a bag of chocolate chips to give to Ice Cream Kitty later on. He left some money on the counter of course. "Can't search on an empty stomach heh," Mikey muffled as he stuffed his mouth with pizza-ritto deliciousness.

Donnie's search went a tad…...well….unexpected. Although he was supposed to be far away from any apartment buildings, he found himself being too close since there was an old storage house besides them. His judgement assured that searching there should be fine as long as he remained out of sight. However, Donnie could never be prepared for what he was about to hear. Unintentionally of course.

"_**Ahhh! Haaaa!...Ooohhhhh! Oh fffuck, Dave! H-harder! Ahhh…! *huff huff*"**_

Shocked and frozen in place, Donnie's face turned completely red from what he was hearing. "Holy fucking shit, holy fucking shit, holy fucking shit….!" In the apartment building just next to the storage house, a young couple was getting 'busy' while leaving their window wide open for bystanders to hear.

"_**Ahhh! Hahaaa! Aww fuck yeah! Like that! Give it to me harder! Deeper damnit!"**_

"_**Oh fuck, ohhhh fffuck! Ahh!"**_

Donnie wanted to move out of there so badly and fucking shut their window closed, although he couldn't even move from that spot in the shadows. There was not a single inch on his face that wasn't red, and getting redder by the second. His developing manhood even caused him to think of April while he pounded into her harder with each cry of his name… "Oh Jesus fucking Christ!" Donnie slapped himself across the face. "What in the fuck is wrong with me?!"

As quickly as he could, Donnie ran to the rooftop of the storage house and leaped to the next few buildings over to escape the erotic sounds he was so grateful no one else was around to hear it. "No….just…..no...not even….fffuck." Now he was frustrated (from being hot and bothered).

Leo searched a few buildings, some of which were either empty, or occupied by a local store. There was a possibility that the Kraang could set up their warehouse disguised as a store. One building after the other and he found nothing strange or off about any of them, except for a very loud snoring man of course. Leo sighed slightly in frustration not being able to find anything useful to their search. He was about ready to call it a night.

"Someone's out a little late. Won't your daddy be worried if you're not home by your curfew?" An anonymous voice teased him from the shadows. Leo rolled his eyes at the sudden comment.

"Not today, Karai… I'm not in the mood. And besides, he's your dad too." Leo huffed in annoyance. He and the others tried to convince her that Splinter was her father, but the girl was stubborn.

"Still headstrong about that stupid lie?! When the hell are you going to give up on that trick?" Karai asked in a frustrated tone. "And besides, I'm not here to fight today anyway. I'm just out on a walk."

"Yeah sure, with plenty of Foot Bots on your tail no doubt." Leo said sarcastically, but also seriously. He leaned against the rooftop door to the building they were on.

"Well, believe it or not, no. Not today either. They don't even know I slipped out. I'm out alone, so just calm down will you?" She half sat on the edge of the roof. Karai hated this, hated to hate Leo, but loved to hate. She had every right to be angry with him she believed, but couldn't bring herself to hate him entirely. Such a stupid game this turned out to be.

"Sure, say what you want. Now if you'll excuse me," Leo turned his back to her and started to walk off. He quickly turned around at the sound of a blade being unsheathed. Katana at hand, he easily deflected her first attack and then the second. "Sheesh, and you're the one who tells me to calm down." Leo couldn't help but smirk. He knew he had to be very careful as to not show his injured arm.

"Shut up. Aren't you going to fight me or what?" Karai declared angrily. Feeling on edge, she wanted nothing more than to let off some steam. And Leo was the first one to fit the bill. But it seemed that Leo was much more occupied with something else. "Or, if my guess is right, you're in the middle of something, aren't you?" She cocked a slight grin. Whatever he was up to, she was sure to find out.

"Not your business, and not your problem." Leo didn't want to have to push her away like this. Not at all. In fact, he wished he could be closer to her. But the Kraang were up to something new and he was sure to put an end to it before any more innocent people got hurt. He swore to himself that he would make it up to her somehow, but that would have to be for another time. "Sorry Karai…" Leo apologized before throwing two smoke bombs and vanished from her sight.

"Damnit Leo!" Karai cursed as she ran after him, but no luck. Leo was already gone. "Fffuck!" She jumped onto the next higher building to see which direction he went. But he left no trace this time. "Next time, Leo…..next time…"

Raph searched through one building after the other. Time lagged on and he was sure he wasn't going to find anything useful. Later he approached a building that seemed to be used as a furniture storage house. Looking through the window, the place was full of furniture old and new. He easily broke in and walked about around the furniture.

"I'm wasting my time here…" Raph muttered to himself as he turned to sit on a sheet covered chair. When he sat down he heard a sudden 'click'. The floor below him opened up to reveal a console. A Kraang console. Raph pulled out his T-phone and sent a mass text to the others.

"_On our way…"_

The other three broke into the building as Raph did and met up with him by the console. Raph glanced at Donnie for a moment as he was about to start tinkering with the device, but noticed something off.

"The heck is up with you, Donnie?" Raph questioned. Donnie's face was tattooed bright red the entire time. He shot his gaze back at Raph for a second.

"Not your business. Don't wanna talk about it. End of story, that's it!" Donnie tried so hard to cover his embarrassed expression. All Raph could do was shrug 'wtf'. Donnie tried to focus on the task at hand and hack into the Kraang console's data base.

"From the looks of it, there should be an entrance to a Kraang base nearby, but it doesn't say what it's for. Hold on, let me figure this out….." Donnie plugged in his T-phone into the console, but before anything could be done, a sudden shock wave rippled out of the machine and sent him hard to the ground a few feet away. The others rushed to his side after he landed.

"Donnie! You ok?!" Leo asked concerned.

"Mmphh, my head…" Donnie moaned while rubbing where he hit his head. "Ahh, that's gonna leave a mark…" Mikey helped him sit up, but suddenly an alarm sounded. "Damn it….I must have triggered an alarm! Ahh! Ouch…..We gotta get out of here, now!"

"We're out of here! Move!" Leo commanded. Last thing they needed right now was any Kraang coming in to ruin their search. A tactical retreat, they had no other option. Mikey helped Donnie to his feet as they all escaped together and into darker regions of the city.

"Well that couldn't have been any worse…." Raph muttered. Leo looked back at him with that death glare as if to say 'oh hell yeah it could have.' They ran as far away from the building as possible before slowing down. "Ya know, we really didn't have to run so far, Leo."

"We needed to though. Look at us, my right arm is messed up, Mikey's ankle is still hurt, and now Donnie's head. Who's next? You? We need to buy our time, Raph. We'll get back on the field after we've healed up, alright? So for now we can't take any risks." Leo explained.

"Ughh, fine…" Raph huffed. He hated having to hold back like this, but Leo was right. The last thing he wanted was for his brothers to get more injuries. The four brothers made sure they were completely alone before retreating into the safety of the sewers.

"Donnie, how's your head?" Leo asked while they were walking back home through the tunnels. Donnie was slightly swaying as he walked, exhaustion lacing over his features. The others soon noticed the staggering in his walk and they all came to a halt.

"I'm fine," Donnie breathed out. His brother's weren't convinced. Raph shook is his in irritation as he came beside Donnie and hauled him over his back. Donnie was taken aback for a moment, but had no energy to protest. Instead he rested his aching head against the back of Raph's neck while being carried back home. Raph was a lot of things, and a soft hearted teddy bear was certainly one of them.

It was terribly late when they got back home. Mikey looked at the time and sighed as he did so. It was around 3 in the morning. He wanted nothing more than to go to his bed and sleep til the next millenium. But before he could do that, his attention was to the living room couch where April was sleeping. Mikey smiled and brought a blanket around her as she slept.

While carrying his sleepy brother of a scientist, Raph opened Donnie's bedroom door and walked in. He took the bed sheets aside and laid Donnie down on his side and then brought the covers over him. After turning off the light, Raph was about to leave before he heard his brother uttering something.

"Mm...Rph…?" Donnie sleepily mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"Thnks…" Donnie smiled before falling back into a deep sleep. Raph smiled.

"No problem Donnie." Raph said before closing the door after leaving the room. Looking at the lab doors as Raph walked through the living room, he noticed Leo looking in the same direction. Mikey had already gone to bed after grabbing another ice pack and some aspirin. Raph came up beside Leo and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"What's on your mind?" Raph asked.

"Everything…" Leo sighed. Raph nodded in understanding.

"Let's get some rest. I'm fucking tired." Raph grumbled. Leo chuckled a little.

"Language, Raph." Leo hated foul language. Although he said some words himself at times, he still didn't approve of his brothers using them.

"What the fuck ever bro." Raph teased. He left for his bedroom while stretching as he yawned, the sounds of his muscles and joints popping echoed throughout the hallway. Leo kept his gaze on the lab doors. There he knew an innocent person was resting after being brutally exposed to the mutagen and the Kraang. He just hoped he could help one person….at least just one.

"I'm sorry, Karai…." Leo thought to himself. He wanted so much to help her, to show how much he cared. But he couldn't even do that. "How can I expect to help Liz too…." His head hung low as he allowed his negative thoughts to eat him up. "All I want to do is make things better…" He felt disappointed in himself. Leo wanted to be the best leader he could be. It certainly wasn't easy though. Leo was about ready to go to bed until he heard some shuffling coming from behind the lab doors.

"Mmmm…..ahhh….damnit…."

Leo walked up the stairs and to the lab doors. He opened them slowly to see Liz sitting on the bed wincing with discomfort. Knocking on the door a little as to let her know he was there, Leo walked in the lab after turning on one of the ceiling lights. Liz was surprised to see that someone was still awake. She gestured for him to come closer.

"You alright?" Leo bit his lip after asking that. It was a stupid question, but he stood before her with his hand softly on her arm. A small chill went up his spine as he touched her soft warm arm. But a different rush of chills went through him from seeing her injuries and the pained look on her face. It was heart breaking.

"I'm ok, just…...uncomfortable I guess…." Liz slightly whispered. Truth was she was in terrible pain. Her body throbbed and shook uncontrollably that she couldn't sleep well at all. It was agonizing. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she wasn't given the mercy to do even that. It made her want to cry.

Leo could see it was much more than just discomfort. Taking her hand in his, he gave her a little squeeze. "I think I know what might help." Leo smiled warmly. A feeling of warmth rushed through Liz at the sound of his voice. It was just so soothing to her. Liz looked up into his steel blue eyes and nodded.

Giving her one more light squeeze to her hand, Leo left for a short moment to grab some herbs from his father's medicinal cabinet and boil some water. He came back to the lab and handed Liz a warm mug of tea with some honey mixed in it. Leo had also grabbed some pain relieving medicine to help take the edge off the pain. Liz held the warm mug in her hands and smelled the herbs as the steam rose up to caress her senses.

Liz didn't know where to begin thanking Leo for his kindness. They didn't know each other at all and yet he and the others were so kind to her. It was truly baffling. But she was in no position to protest or question their hospitality. Instead, she took the warm mug to her lips and drank the soothing liquid. The tea made her feel warm and good inside as she drank. She never noticed, but Leo was looking at her as he sat beside her. No one at the time would have realised that he was blushing a little. Cooking was certainly not his forte, but making tea was his specialty. It made him feel happy to see her smile. After what she had just been through the other day, he knew she needed this sense of peace. It didn't seem like much, but this meant a great deal to her. Liz kept her gaze down, staring into the mug.

"Umm….Leo?" Liz spoke barely above a whisper. She felt so lost and confused about everything. But she wanted him to know at least one thing if she could help it. Leo saw how frail and fragile she looked. He took the blanket and wrapped it over her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked concerned. Liz kept her eyes down. She was afraid that meeting his eyes would cause her to cry.

"I just….want to thank you….. I mean, for everything. You all went out of your way to save me. I…..can't help but still wonder why though. Why save some stranger you don't know? Don't get me wrong….I appreciate everyone's kindness so much…..but I just…." Liz gave up trying to talk. She felt stupid for trying to thank him, but then it ended up being a pity party. She had no idea where to begin expressing her emotions.

Leo took in her words and understood what she was trying to say. Once again he took her hand in his. "Liz, listen to me…" Leo said softly, but still Liz never raised her eyes to meet his. It was ok though. "You don't have to say anything…. I understand." He meant it and the truth was in his voice. Liz felt the truth and sincerity in his voice. She tried so hard to silence her crying.

Leo was never comfortable when seeing others cry. He didn't really know what to do. Hesitantly, Leo brought his left arm around her, but stopped halfway from being unsure. This wasn't the time or place to be feeling awkward, so he went with his gut and went on to hold her. Honestly, it was sudden and a tad awkward, but it felt good at the same time. Leo somewhat expected her to move away from his touch, but to his surprise, she stayed.

Liz wanted to be alone. She hated it when people saw her cry. She tried her best to hide her crying but it was pointless. It was an odd feeling, but she didn't want to look weak in front of anyone, especially him. She didn't realize it at first, but was surprised when she noticed he was holding her. She felt so awkward, not knowing for sure what to do. But she could plainly see that he was only trying to help. So she stayed where she was and didn't move away from him. To be honest, it was actually nice to be held. In fact, she liked it.

They both sat there together hearing nothing else but Liz trying to stop her crying. Without thinking, Liz curled into him a little. It was comforting and Leo gladly let her do so. He wished he could bring his right arm around her too, but he was still unable to move it much. Liz never took notice of Leo's arm until then. Wiping away her tears, she looked at his right arm. It looked swollen and black and blue.

"That happened to your arm?" She felt concerned for him. Liz surely had many injuries, but Leo had some too. She wanted to help him as much as he did for her.

Leo was taken completely by surprise by that. He never expected for her to show concern for him. He looked at his arm and then to her. He wasn't sure how to put it. The injury was caused by trying to save her. Leo wasn't even sure if she was aware of what exactly happened the other day. He didn't want to make her feel bad.

"Umm, it was just an accident really. Please, don't worry about it" he lied. Leo tried to smile but it came out more as an unsure gesture. Liz could see he was lying, but wasn't sure why he was hiding the truth. She decided not to push it though.

"Will you be ok though?" She asked with sincere concern. Again, Leo was surprised, but he felt happy that she cared. Leo smiled.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll be just fine. It's you that I'm more worried about." He meant it too. His injury was nothing compared to hers. Liz was nearly wrapped up completely like a mummy that kept her wounds covered. He could tell that she would be left with some terrible scars after she healed.

Liz noticed Leo was staring at her bandages. It made her feel uncomfortable that he kept looking at her. She wrapped herself in the blanket, covering her body completely. "Please stop staring at me…" Liz pleaded in a low voice. Leo's face went a little red when he realized he was staring. He turned away quickly.

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare….I'm sorry." Leo apologized. He didn't realize he was staring at her. Liz held herself tighter within the covers. To have eyes on her constantly was nerving and stressing. She didn't like to be looked at. Especially now with the way she looked.

Liz wordlessly accepted his apology. In a moment she faced away from him and looked down at her pillow. "Thank you…..for the tea…..I would like to go to bed now. You should get some rest too…." she spoke low. The herbal tea, along with the pain meds she took, was making her very tired. It helped most of her pain to subside for the time being, and was thankful for it.

"Oh, umm….ok. Good night, Liz…." Leo sat up off the bed. He was about to tuck her in, but stopped when she was doing that herself. Leo turned towards the lab doors to leave for his room. He looked behind him one more time before leaving. Liz covered herself under the blankets and buried her face in the pillow. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn she was still crying.

With a heavy feeling in his chest, Leo felt her alone in the dark lab and closed the door behind him. Opening the door to his room, he immediately plopped on his bed in a heavy heap. Without even undoing his gear and clothing of some sorts, he fell fast asleep on his soft warm bed, cuddling his old ducky blankey.

…...

Karai wandered the rooftops of the city, pondering what on Earth made Leo have to take off like that. It was completely unlike him to do that. Obviously something was up, and she was determined to figure it out. One thing could never escape her thoughts, however.

"Splinter…..why does everyone keep telling me he's my real father….? It's ridiculous…." She would never admit it, but she had a feeling that maybe it was true. Just maybe…..

"What the fuck am I thinking?" Karai shook her head off the thought and back to the task at hand. "I'll do my own digging. What Shredder doesn't know won't kill him." Of course she remained loyal to her "father" but doing some digging on her own was much more fun than having him involved and taking over everything.

"Looks like things are about to get a bit more fun around here." She smirked devilishly. As fog soon took over the city, she vanished like smoke into the abyss of nowhere.

…..

_**(A/N) ok ok so yeah, I don't have Karai mutated just yet and such. But I figured this way it would be a bit more interesting XD I may have her mutated eventually in this story, but I haven't planned that far ahead just yet ^^;**_

_**But anyways, I hope you all enjoy it ! :D**_

….

The awesome working with the chapter that in the end got too carried away

They both sat there together IN FUCKING AWKWARD SILENCE WHILE MIKEY IS SHOVING HIS DICK INTO POOR ICE CREAM KITTY SCREAMING "THIS IS MY FUCKING AMERICAN PIE!"

Suvi: THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY

Meg: HE BE LIKE "I AM SHOVING THIS DICK, INTO THAT PUSSY!"

Suvi: HE WON'T BE THAT HAPPY AFTER HE'S GOING TO DONNIE'S AND JUST LIKE "ERM, MY DICK FELL OFF" X'D

Meg: AHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HE BE LIKE "WHAT IN THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO YOUR DICK?! IT'S A FUCKING DICK-CICLE!

Suvi: "I DID STUFF….. WITH ICE-CREAM KITTY. SHE SUGGESTED IT!" X'DDDDD

IT'S NOT CHEESESICLE, IT'S A DICK-SICLE

Meg: OMFG! X'D AHHHAHAHAHAHA!

They both sat there together hearing nothing else but Liz trying to stop her crying. Without thinking, Liz curled into him a little. It was comforting and Leo gladly let her do so. He wished he could USE BOTH HANDS and...pffffft hahahahahahaha

Suvi: You just can't focus anymore can you? XDDDD (not judging finding it hilarious tbh xDDD)

Meg: LMFAO NOPE X'D

Suvi: What did you drink?! XDDDD

Meg: AHHHAHAHAHAHA

I DRANK PEPSI! 8D HEHEHEHEHE

Suvi: NO PEPSI FOR YOU

Meg: NUUUUUU! ME NEEDS DA PEPSI GOODNESS Q3Q

Suvi: Fook r u in some perv mode?! XDDD Or just WHEEEEE

Meg: LMFAO BOTH! 8'D

Suvi: MONKEY'S ASS X'DDDDD

Meg: SHLAP DAT ASS X'D

Suvi: OH YAAAASSSSSSS MMM MONKEY LIKE X'DDD

Meg: I GOTTA WRITE YO! 030 X'D

Suvi: REALLY? X'D NAW YOU DOING IT RIGHT NOW XDDDD

Meg: AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FUCK YOU X'D

Suvi: I CAN HEAR THAT CHINESE GUY FROM THE HANGOVER (OR WAS IT FROM THE HANGOVER?) INSIDE MY HEAD WHEN I READ THAT COMMENT X'DDD

Meg: AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

monkey monkey monkey monkey BANANAS! 0W0 WHEEEEEEEE!


	9. Funny Thing About Kappas

Chapter 9

It was around 9 in the morning when Liz woke up in her makeshift bed in the lab. Out of habit, she moved to stretch her arms and legs, but stopped immediately when her wounds throbbed in protest. Taking a sharp quick breath in, Liz held her sides for a few agonizing moments. Liz looked at the clock on the wall and got out of bed. Making her way towards the door she heard her stomach growl and grumble.

Walking through the living room, Liz looked around, but saw no one else except for April still sleeping on the couch. Liz didn't want to be rude and wake her up, instead she let her sleep as she walked toward the kitchen. A part of her couldn't help but wonder where the others were. She assumed they were gone all night. Liz wondered why, but soon forgot about it when her stomach roared once again.

Just waking up in his room, Raph stretched his arms out with a loud yawn before leaving his room for the kitchen. Raph passed by April still sleeping on the couch and couldn't help but smile a bit. He entered the kitchen and went straight for the fridge until realizing he wasn't alone. It wasn't until that moment that he saw her completely in full light. He couldn't believe it, but he was actually blushing. How could he not? She was beautiful. But his heart swelled from seeing her look so banged up still.

"Oh! H-hey, good morning! Umm, how are you feeling?" Raph wanted to slap his forehead. 'Man that was a stupid question. Of course she's feeling terrible, you idiot.' Raph soon noticed that she was holding onto her stomach with a look of discomfort in her features. He grew worried.

"Umm, yeah….I'm alright….thank you…" Liz was barely audible. Before anything else was said, her stomach let out another loud roar. Liz's face went red with a little embarrassment and held herself slightly tighter. "Umm…..I'm sorry…." she mumbled.

"Pffft!" Raph tried to muffle his chuckling, but he couldn't help it, it was kinda cute. "Hehe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. Would you like me to make you something to eat?" Raph felt like kicking himself in the ass. 'What the fuck am I doing? I can't fucking cook! Why am I being so nice to this chick?' His facade quickly ended as soon as he saw her expression. "Oh, shhhhit, I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong?"

Liz only shook her head. She still couldn't understand why he was being so nice to her, let alone everyone else. Liz felt so out of place, like a fish out of water. It was stressful, unsettling. Her stomach growled again. Without warning, Raph came closer to her and wrapped one arm around her softly, leading her to the kitchen table.

"Sit." Raph said plainly in a low voice. Liz did as she was told. She couldn't really explain it, but she felt a soothing warmth coming from him when he was close to her. It felt nice, comforting. She found herself not being able to take her eyes away from him as he moved about in the kitchen. His green skin, shell, muscles, everything of him was so strange. Liz felt like she could never get used to this. But still, she sensed kindness in him.

Raph moved from the fridge to the cabinets trying to figure out what he could make that was 'edible'. His confidence in cooking was very low, but wanted to try, for her at least. Opening the fridge, he took out three eggs and some maple sausages. 'Alright, this should be simple enough….I hope.'

Liz watched as the red banded turtle set the food on the counter before looking through the cabinets for a frying pan. She could tell that maybe he wasn't the best cook, but didn't want to burst his bubble. She found it to be actually pretty charming. Waiting patiently, she watched.

Raph turned on the gas stove top at near high heat. He hated turning up higher than what he was used to, but he remembered that one time when Mikey told him that the food is better when cooked on the high setting. That, and it would cook faster. He opened up the olive oil bottle and poured a small amount on the now hot pan. Sure there was butter in the fridge, but olive oil, he figured, was more healthier. Before pouring the eggs onto the pan, he turned to see Liz looking at him.

"Ummm, scrambled, or fried?" He asked casually. Liz wasn't very talkative though. She only shrugged her shoulders as to say 'either way is fine.' Which, in fact, was great for him because it was much easier to scramble than fry. "Scrambled it is then." he answered with a small smile. He scrambled the eggs and then poured it onto the hot pan with a loud sizzle from the oil. Next he took out another, but smaller, pan to cook the smoked maple sausages. Liz happily sniffed the air while he cooked for her. The food smelled great.

After a few minutes, Raph took a plate from the top cabinet, filled the plate, and placed it on the table with a fork before Liz. Liz smiled gratefully at him. Actually, this was the very first time she really looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you...ummm…. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name…." Liz felt bad and a little embarrassed for not knowing his name. Fortunately he didn't seem to be mad or offended in any way. He only smiled kindly.

"It's Raphael," he introduced himself. "But everyone calls me Raph."

"Oh, well then….thank you, Raph, for making breakfast for me. I really appreciate it." She couldn't hold back her growing smile. His emerald green eyes were bright and inviting. Liz felt safe with him in the room with her. She picked up her fork and began to eat. "Mmmm, this is so good."

Raph couldn't help but blush. No one had ever complimented on his cooking before. Well, except for Mikey when he made those blueberry muffins the other day. He involuntarily shuddered at the reminder of Mikey, Ice Cream Kitty, and American Pie. He mentally slapped his forehead, 'oh for fucks sake.' He then turned toward the kitchen counter to brew some coffee. "Would you like coffee, Liz?"

"I would love some, thank you." Liz smiled at him. Liz ate quickly and emptied her plate. She moved to get up from her seat and put the plate away in the sink. No matter what she did, it always pained her to move. But the last thing she wanted was to seem useless. Raph soon noticed her trying to get up and quickly moved to her side.

"It's alright, I got it. You're still in pretty bad shape. You need to rest and not move much," Raph lead her back down on her seat. He showed genuine concern for her. "Don't worry about it. You're in good hands." He meant every word. He found it to be quite difficult to keep his tough exterior in front of her. 'Damnit, she must think I'm some softy son-of-a-bitch.'

"No, please….I can do it. You've already done so much for me. I don't want to be useless…." Liz nearly mumbled that last part barely audible, but Raph caught it. He had to hand it to her though, she wasn't some damn typical damsel in distress, nor did she try to be. Despite the state she was in, she was doing her damnedest to stay strong and keep moving forward. He felt respect for her then.

"Ok, I'll leave you to it, but if you fall or anything, then I'm carrying you back to the lab or couch, got it?" Raph stated with authority, but not harshly. Liz nodded, happy that he wasn't doting over her like a sappy gentleman. Liz stood tall on her feet. With pride, she slowly made her way to the sink with plate at hand. Every muscle and every wound on her body screamed for her to stop moving, but ignored the pain coursing through her and kept on moving. She stopped in front of the sink and set the plate down, washed it, and set it to soak. Liz turned to face Raphael whom was now smiling at her, proud for not being weak.

"Heh, ya see? Nothing to it." Liz laughed for the first time in a long while. It was the first Raph had ever heard her laugh, even though it was small, it was still a laugh. Raph came to her side and swung an arm over her shoulder.

"Proud of ya, Liz." Raph beamed. Liz blushed and smiled for being praised. It felt good. Then the coffee maker beeped as it finished brewing. Liz inhaled deeply, smelling the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the morning.

"You alright making your coffee yourself?" he asked. Liz nodded happily. "It's all yours."

Liz reached up the cabinet for a coffee mug, but couldn't move her arms much still. "Umm, I'm sorry….could you…?"

Raph smiled and shook his head, "I got it." He reached up for the mug and handed it to her.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Raph stood by while Liz poured the coffee in her own mug and moved to the fridge for cream. She took out the vanilla flavored creamer and walked back to her mug on the countertop. While she was preparing her mug, Mikey walked in slightly limping.

"*Yaaaaaawn!* Morning! Oh hey! Morning, Liz! Raph? What are you doing up so early? *sniff sniff* Wait a sec… Were you cooking just now?!" Mikey sounded surprised. Liz couldn't imagine why though. The food he made tasted just fine.

"Well, yeah…" Raph smiled a little. Maybe cooking wasn't so bad afterall.

"Nice! Now it's my turn!" Mikey fist-pumped in the air before flipping over the counter and onto his now cooking mojo. Liz was actually sort of enjoying the show of Mikey's cooking display. She sat back down on her chair while watching this guy cook. April walked into the kitchen rubbing her eyes from just waking up. She widened her eyes at the scene before her.

"Wow, heheh. Everyone looks chipper this morning." April giggled. Liz got up from her seat and gave April a tight hug. "Eeep! Looks like someone's happy to see me." she squeaked happily, hugging her back. April took a short moment to look around. "So is everyone else still asleep?"

"Yeah, we kinda had a long night," Raph began to explain. "so we're just taking it easy today." Raph was making his coffee, but stopped midway when he suddenly remembered. "Oh jeez! I forgot about Donnie!" Raph slapped his forehead and rushed out the kitchen. April still wasn't aware of that nights events.

"Wait! Raph! What happened to him?!" April asked worried as she chased after him.

"He got a nasty hit to the head last night. We figured he might get a concussion. I forgot to check up on him this morning, stupid!" Raph rushed to Donnie's room and opened the door. A huge wave of relief washed over him as he saw his genius brother snoring peacefully in his bed, but hissed a little from seeing the huge black and blue bump on his head.

"Oh man! I'll go get him an ice pack." April turned and rushed back to the kitchen to grab a cold ice pack from the freezer. As April ran quickly in and out of the kitchen, Liz looked to her as to ask 'what happened' but April didn't stop to fully explain, rather shouted as she ran. "Donnie got hurt, getting ice pack, be back in a bit!"

April made it back to Donnie's room with the ice pack. Raph was by his bedside trying to get Donnie to wake up. Donnie grumbled and moaned as he was shaken out of his deep sleep. "Grrrrrrrgghhhhhhh…...da heck guys? Mm shleepin'...ow ow ow! Mmh head…" Donnie mumbled as he lightly touched his head. "Ugghh, wht hit mh? Rph...April…?" Donnie was beginning to lose consciousness again. April lightly shook his shoulder.

"No, stay up a little longer, Donnie. We need to give you some medicine first. Try to stay awake, ok?" Raph ordered. Donnie sighed and nodded as he did he best to stay awake. "April, stay with him while I get him something."

April nodded as Raph left the room. April knelt beside the bed watching over Donnie as he tried to keep his eyes open. His eyelids felt heavy like lead as so did his head. What he wouldn't give for some pain meds right now. April took the icepack and gently placed it on the bump as softly as possible. Donnie flinched and hissed, but soon relaxed under the cold pack, slightly easing his pain.

"You holding up ok?" April asked. Brows furrowed, Donnie deeply sighed and nodded his head. April reached her hand out to his and held it, softly running her thumb over his fingers. Donnie sighed again, his features more relaxed than pained. April felt a little blush cross her face from seeing him relax from her touch. It was adorable. She lightly ran her fingers up and down his arm slowly until she stopped suddenly.

"I thought you were supposed ta keep mh awake…?" Donnie sighed sleepily. He felt like he could just melt from her soft touches. Nothing would make him happier than to grab her in his arms and pull her into bed with him, but he could still dream it.

April smirked a little, "Welp, I guess I'll stop then." she said in a teasing way. His next reaction made her bubble up inside so much that she could burst.

"Well, hm, never said you had to stop." Donnie smiled, looking up to her with hazy, droopy eyes. That earned him a little flick of her finger on his nose, and also a loving kiss on his cheek. Donnie rubbed his nose where she flicked him. "Ayy, what was that for?"

"For being a goob." April teased.

"Heh, well I'm **your** goob, my lady."

"Indeed you certainly are." April softly said drawing closer to his face. She suddenly sat upright on her seat as Raph was coming back. She sighed a bit, wishing he took a little longer getting back.

"Ok, got the pain meds, another ice pack and some other stuff. Donnie, you still up?" Raph asked as he walked in. Donnie nodded in Raph's direction. Raph sat on the other side of the bed and gave Donnie some meds for the pain and to help lower the swelling.

"All done, you can go back to sleep Donnie."

Donnie sighed in relief, thankful to be able to go back to sleep. Not even a minute passed by before falling back to sleep completely. All the while, April continued to trail her fingers over his arm softly. Raph got up and stood by the door. "You comin'?

"I'll be there to join you guys for breakfast soon." Truthfully, April wanted to stay with him a little longer. She just couldn't look away from his sweet sleeping face. Raph shrugged his shoulders and left the two alone. April was thankful that Raph didn't bother to butt-in about it. She supposed that they had a wordless understanding between them and was glad for it.

Raph met Liz's gaze as he walked back into the kitchen, sure that he was to give her an explanation.

"Well, last night, Donnie got a bad hit to the head while we were out. So, it looks like he'll have to stay in bed for the day." Raph explained to her. Liz nodded her head in understanding as she continued to sip her coffee. Mikey was just about done cooking and began to prepare his plate.

"There's extra if anyone wants some." Mikey called. Raph's stomach growled when he smelled the food.

"Sounds good to me, thanks bro."

Liz turned her gaze to the kitchen entrance as Leo made his presence. "Umm, good morning Leo." Liz tried to hide her face behind her coffee mug. When she thought about it, last night's meeting was nothing to be upset about or linger about it. He seemed like a nice person and decided she wasn't going to judge anymore.

Leo looked to her with a little surprised expression at her sudden greeting. "Oh, good morning. Umm, how are you today?" He ended up smiling at her. After all that happened to her, he was glad to see that she was, in a sense, rising from the ashes. Leo couldn't deny that he felt proud of her for staying strong. Anyone else, he was sure, would still be lost in the dark and holding onto the past. Liz was different. Despite the odds, she kept moving forward.

"I'm very good, thank you," she smiled sweetly, "Raph made me breakfast just now. He's a great cook." Liz looked at Raph and smiled. Raph's face nearly turned as red as his mask with an embarrassed expression. He opened his mouth to try to say something, but it came out as quiet stammering. Liz couldn't help but laugh at him. He actually looked kind of adorable.

"Do whaaa?! Well well Raphie mah boy, I do believe you are trying to impress the little lady! Hahahaha!" Leo held his stomach as he busted out laughing followed by Mikey. The idea of Raph trying to impress a girl was just too funny. Raph grew even redder in the face while he was being teased. He cracked his knuckles as a first hand warning.

"You shut up!" Raph snapped back, but not in a so violent way that would start a fight. He was careful not to seem too angry in front of Liz. He didn't want to cause her any discomfort. So he did his best to keep his cool. Leo wiped away a tear as he was coming down from his laughing fit.

"Ahhhahaha, I'm sorry bro, I couldn't help myself." Leo chuckled. Raph shook his head and smiled too.

"Heh, yeah yeah yeah." Raph smirked. Liz sat in silence watching the brothers tease each other. Although, she did feel a little odd about the possibility that one of them taking an interest in her. She quickly shook the thought out of her head, there was just no way that could happen. It was simply ludicrous. Liz thought about something else though, figuring she may as well speak up about it. She sighed as she thought, unsure while staring into her now empty mug. Mikey looked up from his plate to notice her expression.

"You alright?" Mikey asked concerned. Everyone soon turned their attention to Liz. At that moment she wanted to just hide under a rock, but couldn't avoid their eyes. She figured, she might as well say it.

"Yeah...I just….have something on my mind that I should have said a while ago." she began to say. The others waited with anticipation, but remained silent as to not pressure her. After a long pause, she spoke again. "When….you guys found me….I was immensely terrified at the time, so….I was too quick to judge. Heh, for a while there, I thought you were a bunch of kappas trying to eat me!" Liz laughed a little to lighten the mood. She could tell by their expressions that she might have hurt their feelings. So she continued on.

"But...I was wrong…...so terribly wrong. I just wanted you to know how sorry I am for the way I was before with you. I didn't trust you guys at all…..I was scared of you…. And for that I'm truly sorry. That, and I never officially thanked you all for saving me. If it wasn't for you all….I probably wouldn't be here….. So….. Thank you, thank you so much. I'm so grateful to you all. And I know I caused you all so much trouble. Could you ever forgive me?"

Liz's voice began to shake as she finished. Tears were welling up in her eyes, but bit them back hard. This was not some stupid pity party. She said what she meant, and meant what she said. Liz waited for their response which was more difficult than she thought. It seemed there was a prolonged silence filling the room. The waiting stopped when she suddenly felt a warm hand on her face…...wiping away her tears. She didn't even realize she was crying. And then she looked up.

Leo looked sincerely into her light grey eyes. The strength within his gaze engulfed her like a warm blanket by the fire. What happened next was the last thing she expected. Leo brought his arms around her gently, holding her closely in a warm hug. He rested his chin on top of her head and took a deep breath. Raph and Mikey came closer and joined in the group hug.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about, Liz. We understand. But understand one thing though. Our whole lives we've expected nothing else of peoples reaction of us to be other than scared or judgemental. That's nothing new to us. The fact that you've stayed strong and opened your eyes has made us so proud and astounded. No other human would have been able to endure what you did, and to still come out of it with your spirit still shining. You've kept moving forward. Elizabeth…"

Leo paused, placing his hand under her chin to look up at him as tears relentlessly streaked down her face.

"...I….am so very proud of you…..we all are. We couldn't be happier knowing you're getting stronger everyday and accepting the path life has taken you. I know that what happened was a terrible accident. And for that I'm sorry, truly I am. But all we can do right now is to keep moving forward. You're so strong Liz, more than what you may think. You have a home here with us, and we're happy to have you here." Leo paused a moment, seeing the expression on her face change to hurt. Then he remembered.

"Liz…..we'll find a way to contact your mother. I promise. But please understand that it's not going to be very easy." Leo did his best to explain as caringly as he could. Liz nodded as she lowered her face against his chest. All she wanted to do was to hide and cry alone, but her pride wouldn't allow her.

"Liz," Raph spoke up, "I just...want you to know that we're here for you." He started to rub the back of his head a little nervously. Raph was never good at nice sappy talk, but this time was different. "And...well...I know these past few days has been...hectic." He was trying to think of where he was going with this. "But know that you're with friends and you have a home here with us." Raph smiled sincerely at her and patted her head.

"Yeah! We can watch cartoons and play video games together! Aww man, I'm already thinking of all the fun we'll have! Oh! And by the way…" Mikey paused to ask. "What's a kappa?"

"_*Snort* Pfffff!"_

The guys looked down at Liz still hiding her face against Leo's chest as she snorted and laughed at the question. Leo smiled widely as he rested his head on top hers again in laughter. Liz's shoulders shook as she laughed and cried a bit at the same time. She made a note to herself that she would have to explain that to him later, but for now, she just wanted to take pleasure in being held like this. Their hugs were so warm and inviting she didn't want to let go just yet.

"Thank you….for everything." Liz breathed out after taking in a deep breath. As strange as it was, she was lulled by the sounds of Leo's steady heartbeats. It was soothing. She felt herself getting sleepy almost.

"No problem."

Who knew how long they stayed together in the kitchen. It felt like hours. After a while, they let go of each other and walked to the living room together. Liz sat comfortably between Leo and Raph while Mikey sat in front of the tv turning on his video game. Raph brought a warm blanket around Liz. She snuggled in the blanket happily between her guardians. After a while, April came out of Donnie's room looking hungry. It was already close to noon and she accidentally skipped breakfast.

"Uuugggghhhhhh mm hungryyyyyyy." April growled and moaned as she walked towards the kitchen again. She paused to notice everyone by the tv seeming relaxed and well. A smile spread on her face before entering the kitchen and making a sandwich for herself.

While they watched Mikey play his video game, she was thinking again. "I just realized, I never got to thank Donnie yet. I should talk to him when he wakes up." She thought aloud. Leo smiled.

"I think he would like that a lot." Leo assured. Liz smiled back as she snuggled in the blanket. She didn't want to have to admit it at the time, but her bandages and wrappings were beginning to itch and ache. The discomfort was becoming extremely unbearable. She didn't say anything until they took notice.

"Liz, what's wrong?" Raph turned to face her. He could clearly see how uncomfortable she looked.

"Gaaahhh, I'm sorry. It's my bandages. It's really itchy." Liz did her best not to make it seem as bad as it really was.

"Oh shoot! I'm sorry, I guess we forgot all about it. Normally, Donnie is the one who better remembers these things. But since he's, well, out of commission for today, I'll get April." Leo got up from his seat on the couch to meet up with April as she was walking out of the kitchen.

"April, Liz's bandages need changing. I'm sorry, but could you…" Leo didn't want to seem commanding for her assistance, but he kind of had no other option. He knew how to change bandages himself, but…..well….Liz was a girl and all, sooooo….. He just felt awkward about it. April smiled knowing what he was getting at.

"Sure! Liz, come with me to the lab so I can fix you up." April sprung towards Liz and took her hands in hers. "I'll get you a change of clothes too." April smiled. Liz felt all warm and fuzzy when she was around April. She was like the big sister she always wished to have.

"Alrighty." Liz beamed happily. She was super relieved to get these darn bandages off and into some new clothes. April texted Casey quickly to bring over some clothes for Liz. April lead her to the lab and set her on the bed she has been sleeping in for the past few nights since her rescue. Liz took off her shirt (the only thing covering her whole body) while April gathered the gauze, bandages, and disinfectant.

One by one, April unwrapped each of the bandages. She started off cleaning and rewrapping the smaller wounds before going on to the bigger ones. Liz hissed and bit her lip from time to time. It was also proving hard to bite back pained tears, but she stuck through it. April took in a deep breath before starting on the bigger and deeper wounds.

"Alright Liz, ready?" April asked to make sure. She had to disinfect the area as carefully as she could. Some of the wounds were quite deep, fearful of possible infections and bacteria forming below the surface.

"Mhmm mhmm!" Liz nodded her head rapidly. "Just get it over and done with." She said through clenched teeth. April bit her lip as she unwrapped the wounds. The deep cut on her abdomen was beginning to look reddish and bruised. Luckily the stitches were holding up fine. She would just have to make sure that Liz do her best not to move or strain her body to the point of her wounds opening up again.

"Ok, lets begin." April dipped a cotton swab in the disinfectant and lightly dabbed the cleaner onto her wounds. Liz's eyes shot wide open, her mouth forming an 'ahhh' shape as to hold back her cries. Her knuckles turned white from gripping onto the sheets for dear life. April stroked her hair to try to calm her down and stop moving. Liz's head slammed hard against the pillow as her heart raced, pain throbbing throughout her body. Breathing fast and heavily, Liz stared up at the ceiling while April set the gauze on the wounds and rewrapped her middle. April sighed sadly at the thought that there would be some nasty scars after the wounds healed.

"Ok! You're all done. You did awesome, Liz. You took it like a champ." April praised. She understood that what Liz went through was nothing close to easy. In fact, she had no idea how Liz was able to cope with it all.

Liz slowly sat up right on her seat on the bed. Her eyes were droopy and looked very fatigued. April left a moment to get some medicine/pain meds for her and a glass of water. "Here you go hun, and let's put that shirt back on for now. Casey should be here soon with some new clothes for you." April stroked Liz head. Liz nodded silently, having little to no energy to talk much for the moment.

"Can I go back to the living room with the others? Please?" Liz asked. April widened her eyes with a bit of joy and surprise.

"Of course you can! Come on." April helped her off the bed and walked with her back to the living room to join the others on the couch. Leo was the first to stand up and look at her. Concern was etched on his features at seeing how fatigued and worn out she looked. He helped April set Liz on the couch. Raph brought a few pillows to make her more comfortable. Mikey paused his game to help out as well.

Liz felt like she was on the verge of tears again. She was so grateful to all of them taking such good care of her. Her breathing slowed down as she fully relaxed beneath the blanket Raph gave her. "Heheh, you guys are spoiling me." She laughed.

"Hehe, don't get used to it, Ducky." Raph teased seeing the duck on the shirt April gave her. Liz immediately lit up bright red and smiled half embarrassed. Raph noticed she liked the name.

"Ha! That's what I'm gonna call you from now on! Ducky!" Raph laughed happily. Liz smiled so sweetly with the brightest blush. Goodness, that happy look on her face made Raph bright up like a candle too.

"Ducky! I like it!" Mikey beamed fist pumping the air. "I give that a sloppy wet Booyakasha!"

Liz looked at him with a 'dafauq?' look on her face. Mikey then realized that that was the first time he said his famous catchphrase in front of her. "Oh! Yea, I forgot to tell you. That's kinda my catchphrase!" Mikey laughed. Liz smiled back now knowing what it was.

"And I'll call you kappa!" Liz teased.

"Whoooo! Awesome! I'm a kappa and I still have no idea what that is! Yeeeah!"

Everyone laughed together happily that moment. It was the happiest Liz had been for quite a time. She didn't feel so much like a fish out of water anymore. She felt happy and safe. And now even happier knowing she wasn't alone and with friends. She promised herself to never judge again and to thank Donnie when he woke up. But another thought crossed her mind.

"By the way….how exactly were you guys able to find me in those dark tunnels the other day? There was absolutely no one around for miles and I'm guessing I was nowhere near where we are now. Sooo…?"


	10. Exposed

Roxanne spent many hours in the police department and detective's office without rest. Many of the officers advised her to go home and rest, but eventually gave up, seeing that she had no intention of resting till her daughter was found. To think that coffee might help her, but she couldn't even drink it without crying. Liz absolutely loved coffee.

It had been three days since Roxanne last saw her little Lizzy. They have never gone a single day without each other. She felt as though the whole in her chest was growing more and more hollow. Roxanne knew full well that sitting around doing nothing was going to get her nowhere, but she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't just start walking the streets and taking names. She had no idea where to even begin. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she hung her head.

"Mrs. Gordon…" A voice called to her coming up from the hallway.

"Yes?"

"Would you like some tea?" It was the detective from before. He noticed pretty quickly that she seemed to avoid coffee for some reason. Funny thing about detectives, they notice just about everything.

Roxanne looked up to the man but couldn't manage to look him in the eyes. Her bloodshot eyes was a clear sign that she hadn't slept in days.

"No thank you detective…" Roxanne replied in a emotionless tone. The detective took no offense. He rather expected that.

"If you say so." The detective shrugged his shoulders then sat on the chair next to her. Roxanne didn't even take into account that he was sitting beside her now. Honestly, she could care less. The detective fiddled with his watch.

"You should go home and get some rest." The detective advised, but Roxanne shot a sharp glare at him. Unphased, he continued. "I'm not asking you. I'm _telling _you, go home." He didn't like having to be so direct and somewhat harsh, but it was for her own good.

Roxanne turned her gaze away from him. She didn't want to go home at all. Just the thought of going home to find her house empty without her daughter crushed her inside. She couldn't take it, the sight of Liz's room without her there. Suddenly she felt a strong, but gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at the detective once more.

"Go home Roxanne."

….

Slowly, ever so slowly Roxanne aimlessly walked the streets of her beloved city. A city once so mesmerizing now turned cold and lifeless in her eyes. She had no idea where she was going and she didn't care. Just so long as she avoided her own home. The entrance to Central Park came to her view and walked into the area. The walkway throughout the park seemed to be her only companion, following its path to God knows where.

It was surprising. It seemed as though the park was devoid of all life seeing as though there was silence surrounding her like a pack of stealthy wolves aiming to take her for the kill. In a way, she sort of hoped that would happen to her right then and there. There was no point in living if her sweet daughter was truly gone.

"Damnit, no! Don't think like that!" Roxanne slammed her fist on her forehead. "Lizzy is going to be fine. I'll find her, I know I can…." She tried so hard to keep positive, but it was proving to be more difficult than she hoped. Darker thoughts encompassed her mind. Thoughts of rape, torture and murder flooded within her.

There in the middle of the park, thanking God that no one was around, Roxanne broke down. Falling to her knees a horrific scream escaped her parched throat. Feeling the weight of the world, she collapsed on the cold hard ground as she heaved and sobbed with no hint of stopping. At this point she didn't care if anyone saw her like this. She didn't care for anyone in the world. Only her daughter mattered.

"If they can't find you….. I'll do it myself."

…..

Minutes passed, maybe hours. Who knew. The sky grew darker as the city lights shone brighter. Roxanne was at the entrance of her, their, apartment building. She dug through her pockets and pulled out the key. As the door was unlocked, she reluctantly stepped inside. The apartment was dark, yet she didn't bother to turn on any lights. With one step after the other, she took her clothes off one by one as she walked into the bathroom.

The knob was turned all the way hot still the room was filled in steam. She stepped into the shower and sat down in the tub, letting the extreme heat wash over her body in hopes to make her feel somewhat clean, better, alive.

Not knowing what time it was or how long she stayed in shower, she eventually got out of the tub when the water turned cold. Putting on only a robe, not bothering to put on any clothes, she walked into her daughters room. Liz never made the bed, all the covers were still sprawled out in a messy heap. Roxanne laid down on the bed. Crying herself to a much needed sleep.

…..

Everyone looked at each other as Liz asked that question. There was a thick atmosphere of hesitation that a knife could cut through it. Liz gave them a questioning look. She had no idea why they would be hesitating to answer her question. The tension was unsettling and it made her nervous.

"Well?" Liz spoke up again. She looked directly at Leo for her question. Absolutely hating to be the center of attention, Leo breathed out a deep sigh. He was caught, so he had to explain.

"Well….it's uhh, sort of an odd story really….." Leo began but halted short when April gave him the death glare. He coughed to clear his throat. "Ahem, what I mean is, it's sort of difficult to explain."

Liz furrowed her brow.

"I was mutated into a lizard thing, and then I met you guys. I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever you throw at me right now." Liz crossed her arms as she said so. Leo's only thought was that she was in for a doozy.

"Ok, fine. The other morning we were all just going about our normal day until April…..sensed something." Leo paused, hoping not to upset April in any way since she didn't like talking about it much. "You see...April has this... special ability." Leo paused again to see what Liz's reaction might be, so far she only looked curious. "Basically, April heard and followed your thoughts. That's how we found you." Leo did his best not to mention the Kraang and how April got her abilities.

Liz sat there looking somewhat stunned as her jaw hung open looking at April. She never would have guessed that at all. April looked back at Liz in an almost pleading way in hopes she wouldn't ask about her abilities and its origin.

Liz was definitely curious, but seeing the look on April's face, she got the hint that she didn't want to talk about it. This time, she let her curiosity slide. Liz shook her head with a light chuckle. "Heh, welp, I guess that answers my question. Thanks for being honest." She smiled.

April let out her breath she didn't even know she was holding. She was just relieved that Liz didn't hound her for answers. Leaving it be, April felt content. April knew that there would come a time where she really would have to explain her origins further, but for now she was happy to leave the topic.

Leo was surprised she didn't ask questions about it all. He was actually glad she didn't. Feeling a small shock of pain wave through his right arm, he winced slightly. Now that there was not much else to discuss, he turned to leave for the lab to pick up some pain meds. His arm was starting to feel a lot better than the other day. Luckily it was just a sprain and nothing was broken. He knew he would be fine to move his arm around in another day or so.

Even though Leo didn't intend on being noticed, Mikey saw his expression. While everyone else seemed to be occupied watching tv soon after he turned off his video game, he decided to follow Leo into the lab to see if he was ok. Mikey's ankle was starting to feel a little better, but he still had to watch his step. Mikey walked into the lab after Leo seeing him go through the medicine cabinet for ibuprofen or something like that.

"Hey Leo, you ok?" Mikey walked toward his older brother. Leo sighed slightly in agitation since he didn't want anyone worrying about him too much.

"I'm alright, Mikey. Just getting something for my arm. And you? Is your ankle better?" Leo asked. What a hypocrite, he didn't want anyone to worry about him, but there he was worrying about his little brother.

"Yeah dude, I'm good. I'm still standing!" Mikey smiled brightly. Whatever divine being there was out there, Leo would swear to it that no matter what, Mikey could always brighten up the room with just his smile alone.

"Heh, good to hear. But I think I won't be able to move this arm for another day maybe." Leo admitted with a little smile of embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. Mikey reached into the cabinet and handed Leo some pain meds then left to get him a glass of water. "Mikey, careful where you step."

"Don't worry about it dude. You look like you're hurting a lot more than I am bro. After all, you did have a nasty fall and that rope yanking your arm and wrist. I'm cringing just thinking about how that must have hurt!" Mikey cringed as he said so while handing Leo a glass of water. Leo took the glass and swallowed down the pills.

"It really wasn't all that bad." Leo lied of course. When Leo lost rope while he fell with Liz, the force from the fall and the extra weight from Liz yanked hard on his wrist where he was holding the rope. That whiplash nearly knocked him out, but he managed.

Mikey looked at him with an accusing expression.

"Uh-huh, suuure it wasn't. Go rest a bit while I get you an ice pack. You really need to take it easy more, Leo." Mikey walked out of the lab after setting Leo on a nearby chair to get an ice pack. Leo sat there in defeat of his protective little brother. He couldn't stop the smile that crept on his face. Mikey quickly came back with two ice packs.

"Here dude." Mikey said while gently placing the ice pack on his brother's arm where it was mostly black and blue.

"Thanks Mikey, I really appreciate it." Leo held the ice pack to where it hurt the most. The coolness of the pack on his sore arm felt amazing as it took the edge off the pain now along with the meds. "You always seem to know just what to do, ya know that?" Leo teased as he lightly punched Mikey on the shoulder while the placed the other ice pack on his ankle.

"Heh, you know it bro! Someone's gotta take care of you while you're all fucked up, ha!" Leo immediately punched his shoulder harder.

"Language, Mikey! Jeez!" Leo reprimanded and laughed at the same time. He seriously hated it when Mikey used foul language, it didn't fit him at all.

"Heh heh, sorry dude. But you don't gotta hit me!" Mikey punched Leo back, but for a moment, completely forgot about his injury and punched Leo's bad arm. A shock of pain waved over his arm again as he hissed, his face scrunched holding in a yell.

"Shit! I'm so sorry!"

"Gaaghh, it's fine. Just please be more careful." Leo winced. He understood that Mikey sometimes was absentminded, it wasn't entirely his fault. Luckily the ice pack and meds were helping subside the pain, so it wasn't all that bad. Leo smirked when the opportunity presented itself.

"Ow ow ow ow owww! Cut it out Leo! I give!" Leo lightly grabbed Mikey's ankle, but didn't squeeze too hard.

"Welp, had to get my revenge somehow hahaha!" Leo joked and quickly let go of Mikey's ankle. Mikey placed the ice pack back on his ankle and pouted.

"Damnit you suck Leo!"

"So, damnit, stop with the cussing!"

"Make meh! ~(030)~

"Challenge accepted!" Leo used his good arm to grab at Mikey's sides for a tickle attack. Mikey wiggled and yelped begging for Leo to quit tickling him. He kicked and squealed as he was busting a gut.

"AHHHHAHAHAHA L-LEOO! SHTAAAP EEET! C-CAN'T BREEEEEEEATHE! HAHAHAHA!"

Leo let go and watched while Mikey heaved on the ground in exhaustion from the tickle attack. "Ahhh that was so worth it." Leo sighed in contempt. Mikey's breathing eased and relaxed then sat beside Leo again.

"You're soooooo lucky your arm is still hurt. But when you get better, you're in for a hell of a tickle fight!" Mikey declared. Leo gave him that shit eating grin.

"Oh, I'm so looking forward to it." Aww yeah, it was on. But it was to be postponed until they healed. Soon enough they heard Casey coming through the entrance of the lair announcing his presence. "Looks like Casey's back with some things for Liz. Let's head back."

"Right behind you."

"Hey guys! Back with some clothes you asked for, April. I hope they're the right size for her." Casey handed April a bag of clothes he bought from a small store. It looked to him that Liz was tiny, but got larger clothes just in case. He couldn't begin to express how embarrassed he was in the store shopping for girls clothes, and worst of all, _underwear. _The lady at the register gave him a funny look, but Casey explained that she was shopping for his sick sister. The lady believed the story and checked him out.

"I'm sure they're just fine. Thanks so much Casey. I owe you one." April turned and sat beside Liz on the couch and handed her the bag of clothes. "Here you go hun. Casey bought some new things for you. I hope they fit." Liz took the bag and looked at its contents. A few pairs of comfortable adjustable pants, some T-shirts and tank tops, a pack of underwear and a tooth brush. Liz turned to look at Casey who was just behind them. Liz set the bag down for a moment and stood up to give Casey a hug.

Casey was a bit stunned by this sudden hug, but hugged her back. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate you going out of your way for me." Liz smiled as she let him go from the hug. Casey returned the smile.

"Heh, no problem. Casey Jones, always there to help." He said proudly poking this chest with his thumb. Liz looked at him funny.

"Do you always address yourself in the third person?" Liz giggled. Casey rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. April stood from the couch and walked over to Liz with the bag.

"Here you go Liz. I'm sure you'd want to change into some clothes." April suggested. She figured Liz might be uncomfortable wearing nothing but that oversized T-shirt. A change in cothing might make her feel better.

"Oh definitely. Thanks so much. I'll go change now." Liz left for the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Casey then joined Raph on the couch, watching the movie _Push. _Leo and Mikey joined them soon after. April was about to join them as well until she heard something coming from the bathroom.

"_Aaaaaapril, can you come here please~" _Liz whined, peeking her head out the door a little. April paced quickly towards the bathroom and met her at the door with a little worry on her face.

"Everything ok? What's wrong?" April opened the door slightly. Liz let her in. She was wearing a dark greyish green tank top, but covered her lower with a towel. Liz looked off to the side, not meeting Aprils eyes. April looked at her concerned. "Liz, what's wrong?" With a look of sheer embarrassment, Liz took off the towel, leaving her exposed. She turned bright red.

"April…..I have no idea how to put on my underwear with this huge tail in the way!" She whined.

**(A/N) lol poor Lizzy XD she cant put on underwear or pants XD damnit Casey, why could you just get a skirt for her or something easier?! lol **

**and btw, i would like to make a note of this. As a response to a comment about writing my story in a certain way. The only thing I have to say to that comment is that this is MY story and i will do with it as i please. Dont like it, dont read. I could honestly care less if you stop reading it and stop sharing around this story. Many others like it the way it is, and thats good enough for me. Thank you**


	11. These things we hold dear

April stood there motionless for a moment as what she was just shone sunk into her brain. Liz glared at her with the brightest shade of red covering her face as she stood there so awkwardly. A loud snort finally escaped April's nose.

"Ahhhahahahahahaha! Kekekeke I'm sooooho sorry, but Bwahahaha!" April tried to make herself stop laughing as she apologized, but it was just too funny. Liz turned even redder in the face as she stomped her foot.

"Aww come on! It ain't that funny! Shaddap! I have a real problem here!" Liz tried to protest, but that made April laugh even harder. She had to admit though, this was a pretty funny situation. Next thing she knew she was laughing too. "Damn it April! Your laughing is fucking contagious! Hahahaha!"

They both hunched over laughing like a couple of idiots for a few minutes before they finally calmed down. "Whoooooo! That was a doozy! Ok ok, seriously now, how to fix this." April thought. Luckily this pair of underwear was large enough to stretch, but that still didn't help with that big tail of hers in the way. "Maaaaaybeeeee, cut out a hole in the back and then sew along the seam?"

"Ehh, it's worth a shot I guess. But we would have to do that with every single pair then." Liz stated. April held out the pair.

"True, but we can't have you not wear anything underneath. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"It's alright. For now I'll just wear my pants. They're pretty comfortable. Thanks anyways April." Liz smiled.

"No worries hun. Do you need anything else?" April asked.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll just finish up here and be out in a minute." Liz said. April nodded and walked out the door, closing it behind her. Liz let out a long breath. "Damn…..this mutant thing isn't going to be easy, is it?" She asked herself. It was only going to get harder for her. All she could really do right then was to try to adjust the best she could. At least she wasn't alone and was grateful for that. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror one more time before leaving the bathroom.

"I'll never get used to this…...face…."

Liz turned the knob and opened the door. She walked out into the living room to see everyone by the TV. Raph and Casey were watching a movie, Mikey was reading a comic book, and Leo was reading an old history book on Feudal Japan. The scene made Liz smile a bit, especially because of Leo. It was nice now knowing someone else who's just as much of a book worm as her. Splinter then came out from the…. dojo, they said it was called, and came up to me.

"Liz, you seem to be doing quite well. I'm glad to see you in good spirits my child." Splinter smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. Liz looked up to him and returned the smile. He seemed like such a nice man. He also seemed like the kind of person who would give you good advice. She thought that maybe he could help her somehow. Not sure of what specifically since there were so many things jumbled into one for her. But still, just being near him gave her a sense of security. She hesitated in speaking aloud her thoughts.

"Oh, yes, thank you very much sir. Umm.." She paused mid sentence. Of course Splinter could clearly see that something was on her mind, but he wanted to see if she trusted him enough to reach out to him. "Umm…. I..also just wanted...to thank you, you know, for everything. Thank you for welcoming me into your home. I truly don't know how I can repay you." She meant every word from the bottom of her heart and Splinter knew this.

"There's no need to repay me. I'm happy to have you here and you are welcome to stay for as long as you like. No questions asked. But, I will ask one thing of you."

"Oh of course! Anything at all, you name it." Liz said eagerly. It made Splinter chuckle a bit. He leaned down close to speak to her so only she could hear.

"Promise me that if and when you are ever in need to speak to someone, know that you can always come to me. I'm always here to help in any way possible and know that you can trust me with anything. And not just me, but my sons as well. They are young, but so full of heart and they seem to like you very much. Can you do this for me?"

There was a small hitch in Liz's breath before her eyes glossed over with hot tears, forcing them not to shed. Splinter held both her shoulders firmly and gently. At that moment he was her rock to keep her steady. Without a word, Liz leaned closer and wrapped her arms around the old rat. She buried her face in his robe and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of jasmine tea and incense before exhaling in a silent sob. Splinter held her in his arms and stroked her head softly. He looked passed Liz a moment to see Leo looking up from his book and watching the scene before him. Splinter raised a finger to his lips, signaling for his son to be silent. Leo nodded and pretended to continue on with his book.

"I….*sniff*... I promise… *sniff sniff*" Liz mumbled, her face still buried. To Liz, he felt so warm and loving, like a father she guessed. Splinter continued to stroke her head for a little while longer.

"Would you care to join me for some tea? I would enjoy your company." Splinter offered. Liz looked up at him and smiled.

"That sounds really nice. I'd like that a lot." She agreed. Splinter nodded as Liz followed him back to the dojo. It was the very first time Liz had stepped foot into this room. She was mesmerized by the colorful carpeting, the many weapons stacked on one wall, and the large beautiful tree in the center and the light cascading the room from above. "Wow…" she breathed out.

Splinter kneeled by the small table beneath the tree as he poured tea into two small tea cups. He motioned for her to sit opposite side him with a steaming cup waiting for her by her seat. Liz came to the table and slowly bent down. It still hurt to move around, so she had to be careful. It proved difficult to kneel as he did, so she had to sit somewhat awkwardly on her side. The cushion she sat on helped make sitting comfortable. Liz took the cup in her hands and smelled the earthy scent of the soothing tea.

"May I ask you something?" Liz looked up from her tea.

"Of course." Splinter answered. Liz took a moment to ponder over her question and how to ask it.

"Well, I was wondering about how this all started. I mean….you and your sons…..and then me. What started all this? Were you all human too?" She paused a moment. "And those men…..who were they? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I need to know the truth of what happened to me. This all still feels like a weird dream I can't get out of…...so please…" Liz's hands trembled.

Splinter set his tea cup down and took in a deep breath. "Where to begin…..where to begin. You deserve the truth more than anyone right now, but it will not be easy. I must warn you that what you are about to hear is very startling. To be honest, I still think it is far too soon for you to know everything. But something tells me that you'll still want to know regardless." Splinter stated and Liz nodded as her response.

"Very well. Many years ago, I had just moved here to the city when I was still human. One day I went into the pet store and purchased four baby turtles…." Splinter paused to see her reaction. She caught it. "As I was walking out of the store, I noticed some strange characters. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was just something "off" about them. So I decided to follow as my curiosity peaked. I followed them to a dark alley. They were carrying a canister holding a strange glowing green substance."

Liz's eyes widened. She sipped her tea as he continued on with his story. "I never intended to intervene, but a rat startled me as it passed over my foot. The men noticed me and then began to attack me. I fought back, but in the scuffle they dropped the canister as I dropped the glass bowl holding the turtles." Splinter paused to point at the repaired shattered bowl that sat on the shelf. "We were all in contact with the substance and we all changed. It was a painful experience, but I doubt my sons remember it. They were very young." Splinter took a sip of his tea.

"Those men…..they were the same as the ones who….did this to me then? Who are they? Why did they do this?" So many questions flooded in, it was too much. Splinter took her hand in his for reassurance.

"Perhaps that is enough for today. I do not want you to feel distressed. Come, we can…."

"No no! Please! I need to know!" Liz cut him off. Splinter let out a breath he was holding and sat back down.

"You will not believe me if I told you…." Splinter warned.

"I don't care…" Liz stated stubbornly. Splinter closed his eyes, thinking over his choice of words.

"Those men…..they were not men at all…. They were aliens…." Splinter admitted the truth to her plainly and simply. Liz's shoulders slumped and looked at him with disbelief. A long silence stretched out for some time before Liz made to stand up, but couldn't. Splinter got up again and helped her on her feet. "Are you alright?"

"You were right…..I'm having a hard time believing that….. But nothing in your eyes tell me that you're lying to me. I think I need to lie down a while…" She spoke quietly. Splinter held her shoulders and nodded.

"I will help you."

"It's ok...thank you. You've already done so much. I can handle myself from here." Liz turned and left for the door. But before she walked out, she turned to see Splinter with a genuine look of concern on his face. "Maybe next time…..we can finish that story?" She asked hopefully. Splinter smiled.

"Of course. Any time you wish." With that said, Liz walked out the dojo, leaving Splinter alone. He walked up to the shelf and held the bowl that once carried his baby sons. He stared into it longingly as the memories of raising his sons came into mind. He then looked to the picture of his beloved wife.

"Tang Shen, how I wish you could have been here with me to raise our sons….and our Miwa. I'll never know why things turned out the way they did, but it still happened. I just hope that...in the end I will see you again….my love."

He set the bowl back in its rightful place with the little pink palm tree inside. He breathed out a sigh as he kneeled beneath the tree once again and began his meditation.

As Liz exited the dojo, she expected to retreat to her bed without disturbance. So she was surprised to see Leo at the end of the stairs, waiting for her it seemed. His expression suddenly turned into concern as he looked at her.

"Liz….are you ok?"

Liz walked down the stairs slightly leaning against the wall. She looked worn out and winded. Leo held out his hand to her and she took it.

"I'm alright….just tired. I think I'm going to go rest a while." She looked to the ground as she said so, not meeting his eyes.

Whatever it was that they were talking about in the dojo, Leo decided he shouldn't ask about it. Liz was still in such a fragile state, he didn't want to be careless and hurt her.

"Sure thing. I'll walk with you." Liz was about to protest, but it seemed like Leo wasn't asking permission as he took her hand and lead her back to the lab. Once they closed the doors behind them, Leo let go of her hand.

"Is there anything you need before I go?" Leo asked. Liz shook her head.

"No no, I'm alright. Thank you though." Liz turned towards the bed, never before has that pillow seemed more inviting. Leo looked back at her for a moment before walking out the door. He couldn't describe it, but he had this feeling that he needed to be there with her longer. He just couldn't though. And then the door was closed.

The moment Liz heard the door close, she finally allowed her burning tears to run down her face. She wasn't entirely sure why she was crying specifically. It just felt like her entire life was ripped away from her all in one shot. What on earth did she do for all this craziness to fall on her head like a million tons of bricks. None of it was fair at all. All she wanted to do was take back her life. She collapsed onto the bed in a heap and sobbed into her pillow.

Maybe…..just maybe…..she will wake up from this world in the morning…..

…

"_Kraang, what news does Kraang bring of the new shipment that is known as Mutagen X." _

"_Kraang has what is known as information regarding to what is known as the shipment. Mutagen X was successfully transported to what is known as the Experimentation Facility. However, Kraang experienced what is known as slight difficulty. The thing known as one canister was lost in the process. Kraang has confirmed that Mutagen X has successfully mutated in what is known as a human being."_

"_Kraang! Where is the location in which what is known as the Mutant is located in?!"_

"_Kraang is unaware of the whereabouts of the one known as the mutated human, but…."_

"_KRAANG! Find the one known as the one who has been mutated by Mutagen X for further study and experimentation! Kraang must have all known substances of what is known as Mutagen X since Kraang is in short supply of this! Kraang, go!"_

**(A/N) Wooooo! Finally got this done! Yaaay! 8D**

**Okie dokie, i just wanted to make one thing clear since someone asked me about this. YES, Suzukiwee1357 definitely knows that I'm writing about Liz. In fact, we've been writing every single chapter together. Except this one though ^^; i wanted to surprise her :3**

**Welp here you have it folks! Enjoy! And thank you all so much for all you reviews and comments! There's still plenty more to come :D**


	12. Time to get started

The passed day drew on for her, curiosity nagging. It was like having a little Gremlin poking your back with a pencil. It was just plain annoying. No matter how much she tried to shake off the notion, it just came back with a vengeance. Finally she decided it was about time she did some digging on her own. Something was definitely going on and she was certainly going to find out one way or another. Besides, whatever it was, it certainly caught Leo's full attention.

Karai was standing on the roof of the building beside the warehouse that the turtles were breaking into the night before. She walked into the building with ease as there seemed to be no high levels of security at all, odd. There was clearly some Kraang tech in this warehouse. But what struck her odd was that there seemed to be no one else around. She took extreme caution.

She landed gracefully on the ground level and then walked towards the opening so she could have a better look. As Karai came closer, the console rose up again as the screen lite up, encompassing the inside of the building with an eerie glow. It was an odd looking console, but not much different from any Kraang computer she's seen before. Without hesitation she ghosted her hand over the control panel to log in. Ever since Shredder and the Kraang became mutual allies, she among the others were given a clearance code. But as she attempted to type in her code…..

_**~WHHRRRRRRR~**_

Mechanical sounds were being emitted from the console. Fuck….. it was rigged. Karai jumped out of the fray before the damn thing could even erupt. Luckily the impact wasn't too great and she was just fine. But now her curiosity was peaked even more. The Kraang must be working on something and the Shredder knows nothing about it. Either that, or he was fully aware of it, and didn't want her to know anything.

"Hmm, let's find out what you're hiding from me, shall we?"

Obviously she couldn't do anything more with this warehouse. She eliminated any trace of her being there and left without a sound. Karai ran from rooftop to rooftop for a few minutes, just to shake off some adrenaline. She stopped a few blocks away from Shredders lair, thinking.

"Alright, two possibilities. Shredder doesn't know if the Kraang are working on something dangerous, I'm guessing. Or, he knows everything about it, and doesn't want me to know. Question is…..should I confront him about this?"

Karai shook her head. It was better to keep this to herself. Of course she didn't even have that much evidence to go on anyways. All she had was a gut feeling. Sometimes it really sucked having to do and face things all by herself, but that's just how her life was. A thought came to her suddenly.

"If I can't directly confront anybody about this, then I'll just have go stealth."

Karai continued onward back to the Shredder's lair. As normally and as casually as ever, she walked in and kneeled before the Shredder. Damnit she really hated doing that. She went over her next actions in her head before his loud creepy voice ordered for her to stand.

"Karai, have you anything to report?" The Shredder asked coldly. A chill went down her spine despite how used to this she was already.

"No Father, nothing tonight. The Turtles have been strangely quiet as of late." She lied of course. Hopefully this would buy them and herself some time. She hoped she was right…..

The Shredder stared at her coldly…..there was no hint of love in his eyes, only hatred.

"Very well. Keep track of them as will my Foot Bots. They can't remain hidden for long. You may go."

Karai bowed in respect as she made her leave. She was given no specific orders for the time being, so basically she was free to do whatever at this point. Thank God. Like nothing ever happened, she walked passed the guards, mutants, and occasional bots that were practically in every corner. Freedom and privacy was a nice thought, but it could never be done.

The entrance to Stockman's lab came into view as she neared the end of the hallway. Karai hated going into his lab. It was covered in filth, trash, and who knows else what. But as usual, she made her way through the trash and casually walked about as though she were doing nothing else other than her normal rounds of inspection and portraying her sense of authority or higher ranking. Really, no one would have given her walking about a second thought. It was just normal inspection. But of course Karai had other motives in mind. She was just that good at hiding things.

Stockman was at his desk surrounded by garbage as he was going through some files. Karai took this opportunity to see if she could get anything out of him without looking too conspicuous. She normally messed with that fucked up bug anyways, why would this time be any different? Slowly she crept behind him making no sound.

"What are you doing _**BUG?!**_"

Stockman jumped in his seat, grasping his heart from the sudden scare. "_J-j-jeeeee-eeezz Karaiii! O-hhh, my apologeeeeezzz. I did did-not s-seeee you there. To what do I owe zzzzz the pleasure of thizzz visit zzz?"_

Stockman absolutely hated this witch along with the others that constantly picked on him. To him this was no different than any other bullying he's gotten. Just another day at the office really.

Of course Karai knew he was a horrible liar and was the worst kiss ass. But as usual, she went on. "Ohhh nothing much bug boy, just walking about doing mah thing. Being in charge, being a normal human being…" Yeah, that was a lie, she knew she was far from a normal human being, but at least she was more so than Stockman. Ohhh yeah, she struck a nerve. Perfect.

"_I'll zzzzz have you zzz knowzzz that I am working on somezzzzzing important for the Shredder!"_

Now she got him.

"Oh really! Do tell!" She asked in a fake, seemingly interested, tone.

"_Aye! Z-zzzz Baxterzzz ZzzStockman, am a zzz genius! Far zzz more intelligent zzzzen those alienzzzzz freakzzz! I wazzz all my idea zz to begin experimentationzzz. We have a new building zzz for zzzz the subjectzzzz. Mass mutationzzzz will be tested with the new Mutagenzzzz. But you already zzzz know thizzz!"_

Karai didn't budge an inch and never changed her expression as she was ingesting this new info. _I think that's all I'm going to get from him for now. _She thought. It was good enough.

"Of course, simpleton. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way doing, you know, normal human things." That was damn cruel, she knew it. But really, she had no sympathy for someone like Stockman.

Karai walked out of the lab with a slight grin on her face. Her hunger for information was certainly satisfied for the time being. But for now, it was about time to plan ahead for her next move.

Stockman watched as she left his lab, furious at her cruel words. He vowed to seek revenge on everyone that wronged him. Damn, there was too many to count. He sat back down besides his desk eating viciously at the rottened bag of an old (I'm guessing) sub sandwich. Little did he know that a certain memory stick was missing from his computer and was replaced with a new one.

Smoothe Karai….smoothe

"_Now with this memory stick in my possession, I'm pretty sure a certain purple banded nerd would just love to take a look at it….."_

…_.._

Donnie groaned as he tossed in his bed. His head felt massively heavy and swollen.

"Good…..ffucking…..lord I feel like I was hit by a bus…...shhhhit…"

He forced himself to sit up and swing his legs over the bed. He hunched over, burying his face in his hands and rubbing his eyes.

"I need fucking coffee…." he sighed, "And maybe some aspirin…"

Donnie managed to stand up just fine, but was slightly wobbly in his walking as he reached for the door. He couldn't even open the door all the way before someone bursted through, holding his hands and asking excessively if he was ok. The bright lights from outside his room was blinding. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the lighting.

"Gaaaghh, I'm alright I'm alright. Calm down will you?" He wasn't sure how long he was asleep, but from the tone of his brother's voice, he was pretty darn worried.

Mikey held his tall brother's shoulders and tried to get him to look at him straight in the eyes. "Are you absolutely positive?! How many fingers am I holding up? Are you feeling dizzy, nauseous, fancy, sexy, fabulous and , ow!"

Donnie slapped Mikey's head. "Nooooo I am NOT feeling fabulous, fancy, and certainly not sexy ya goof nugget!" Donnie wobbled again and Mikey held him steady. "But, I do feel pretty fucking lousy…."

"Alright, you stay here, get back to bed. I'll bring you something." Mikey practically ordered, but Donnie stopped him.

"No, no you're fine. I just need to move about. I'd rather go to the kitchen." Donnie explained.

"No dice, I'll at least take you halfway. I'm taking you to the couch. Fair enough?" Mikey said. Donnie sighed.

"Alright, fair enough."

Mikey wrapped one arm around his taller brother as he helped set him on the couch. He left Donnie to get some medicine for him. For the time being, Donnie stared at the ceiling trying to make the throbbing in his head stop.

"Pretty ceiling, ain't it?" A voice suddenly spoke up next to him, making him jump. He regretted the action instantly now with a new found thrill of throbbing in his head, ouch.

He turned his head to see Liz sitting next to him and in a new change of clothing. She looked pretty nice actually. Donnie sighed.

"Goodness don't scare me like that woman!" he hissed. Liz couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." Liz smiled. Oh hey, she smiled. Donnie never saw her smile before. It was a nice change. He wondered what caused it. Better not to question it though, just go with it.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." He laid his head against the couch again and relaxed a bit. Liz looked concernedly at him.

"You going to be alright?" She had to ask. Donnie opened one eyelid to see her face. His expression softened, seeing the worry in her eyes. He smiled, that adorable gapped grin.

"I'll be just fine. Trust me, it would take a lot more than a knock to the head to keep me down. Promise." The look of relief on her face was refreshing. It felt good to see her smile. "Actually, I'm the one who should be asking '_you' _how you're doing. Really though," he turned more to look at her with both eyes open, "how are you doing? Are you alright?"

The look of genuine concern on his face struck a blow to her chest. It was touching really. Liz breathed in before answering.

"To be honest….right now. I'm hanging in there. I'm a lot better now than I was before you guys found me though." She looked down at her unfamiliar hands.

"I'm not sure how long I was out, but it looks like you've come a long way since I last spoke to you. In the most shortest amount of time you went through a crazy roller coaster ride so to speak." Donnie sympathized. Liz looked up at him.

"I'm still sort of on that roller coaster, you know." Liz interjected.

"Of course….I'm sorry." he apologized. Donnie could see that she was deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

Liz bit her lip as he thought over her answer.

"Well I...umm. I never got the chance to say…..thank you. Thank you so much, you know…..for saving me. I'm very grateful to you and the others. If it weren't for you all, I probably wouldn't be sitting here and breathing today."

Donnie's eyes widened. She was truly sincere in what she said and it looked as though she were about to cry. Donnie took both her hands and held them in his. She looked up to meet his eyes. Again he smiled that silly grin of his.

"Liz, I would never dare think of letting you fall. You know that I, or any of my brothers, would never abandon you or anyone else. I'm saying to you, full heartedly, you are very welcome. And may I add, it was an honor to have met you and know you now as a friend. I truly am sorry for the things that happened. Some things are just out of our control. But I'm very proud of you for being strong."

As hard as she tried to hold back her tears, one tear after the other streaked down her face as she moved to hug him. She was careful not to hurt him as she wrapped her arms around him and pressed closer against him. It felt odd hugging him. His body was like a humans, but also not. It didn't matter though. This hug was very much needed.

Donnie was surprised by the sudden hug, but gladly accepted it and hugged her back. Liz let go to wipe away her remaining tears, smiling. Finally Mikey walked back into the living room with meds and water.

"Wow, what'd I miss?" Mikey laughed a bit. There was a good vibe in the air, he could tell. Donnie took the meds and drank down the water. He felt much better after that.

"Oh well, you know…..just uhh, welcoming this zombie back from the dead hahahaha!" Liz joked. Donnie poked her side, making her giggle.

"Well good! Hahaha this lazy bag of bones needs to get his ass back in gear ya know!" Mikey laughed.

"Heyyyy!" Donnie pouted.

Things seemed to be turning out good for Liz despite the obvious darkness in the corner. But for now she was just happy to be alive and among caring people. This day she granted with love in her heart.

"_I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."_

_Quote from the scroll marked 2 from the book __The Greatest Salesman in the World_ _by OG Mandino._


	13. Vulnerability

Two weeks came to pass since Liz's mutation. To the outside world, she was still missing. Her mother felt withered and crushed as the days dragged on. Every morning as the sun rose, Roxanne kept telling herself that this is the day she would bring her Lizzie home. But so far, it hasn't happened. Dread tormented her as it became likely that she might never see her daughter again. This was her hell.

"Roxanne? Sweetie? It's me, Connie. Please, open the door."

Connie was Roxanne's life long friend. She knocked at the apartment door, pleading to be allowed in. Roxanne heard the knocking from the door. Slower than a slug, she slumped off of the couch, made her way to the door and opened it for her friend.

"My God, Roxanne!" To Connie, her friend looked awful and worn down. Connie was beyond scared and worried for both Liz and Roxanne. Throughout the past two weeks she had been by her side nonstop. She rushed through the door to hold Roxanne by the shoulders since she looked as though she were about to fall.

"Whatya want now, Connie?" Roxanne became bitter lately. Connie took no offense, she had every right to be this way. Roxanne slugged towards the couch and grabbed another beer before sitting down. Connie was highly against this drinking phase. Roxanne wasn't handling this well at all. It was legit, she was going through depression. Badly.

Connie grabbed the bottle of beer from her hand and chucked it in the garbage can.

"We're going out, NOW!"

Roxanne looked at her with defiance as if to say 'fuck you', but knowing Connie, she was a pretty determined woman. Yes, she understood that her friend was going through this terrible ordeal, but she wasn't going to allow her to destroy herself. Connie quickly went through her closet and pulled out pants, a nice shirt and other accessories. She walked back to the couch and threw the clothing at Roxanne with a stern "Fucking get up and get dressed."

Roxanne scowled as she took the clothes and left to change in the bathroom. She looked at least half way decent when she left the room. Connie nodded, it was good enough, and then grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door. Roxanne had no idea what she was thinking, but this is Connie though. This woman always has something up her sleeve.

Hand in hand, they left the apartment building and walked a few blocks before stopping at a cafe. Roxanne kept her expression concrete and unphased.

"What's all this about, Connie?"

Connie was 'this' close to smacking her friend, but she had to keep in mind on what she was going through.

"Roxie, honey. We're just here to grab some coffee. This place just opened up and I want to try it with you. It'll make you feel better." Connie gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Roxanne only scowled. 'Feel better', ha, sure. She opened the glass door and walked in with Roxanne close behind her. A young lady at the counter greeted them with a smile.

"Hello there! Welcome to The Stud Muffin. How may I help you today?" Connie put a hand to cover her mouth to hold in her laughter over the name. Roxanne didn't even smile. Connie looked at the lady by the counter who stood patiently, but also looked a bit worried at the sad woman. Connie made a silent signal as to not say anything. The lady nodded in understanding.

"I'll have the mocha latte please, with whipped cream and a touch of cinnamon." The lady typed in the order and waited for the next. Roxanne blankly stared at the menu, not really interested in buying anything.

"She'll have the same as me." Connie told her. The lady doubled the order.

"That'll be 15 even ma'am." Connie swiped her card and waited as the register accepted it. "Thank you so much. Enjoy your drinks ladies."

The beverages were prepared quickly. Connie carried both drinks and two crumb cakes she also ordered to the little table by the window. Roxanne stared out the glass and carelessly watched as the world outside continued to move passed her.

"Here sweetie, drink up." Connie insisted by pushing the drink a little closer to her friend. Roxanne took the beverage and slowly sipped it. She showed no expression whatsoever, but in her head she was thinking how good it tasted. Lizzie would have loved this place and laughed out loud over the name. Pressure began to build up in her eyes as her face scrunched in a painful expression.

Connie was silent as she watched her friend's expression change. Sometimes, words never worked to heal someone in pain. Silence speaks louder than words in her opinion. Connie got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around Roxanne's shaking form. She buried her face in Connie's chest and sobbed. Thank goodness there was no one else in the cafe.

Connie rubbed her back to soothe her cries, "Shhh, it's alright. Everything will be ok sweetie." Roxanne only shook her head in protest. No. Everything was NOT going to be ok. She was stuck in a dark tunnel with no way out, no light to follow. Roxanne was buried deep within depression.

Not too long ago, Connie had a conversation with the detective that was working on Liz's case. He was ashamed to say, that the tracks led to a dead end and and they had nothing else to go on, but the investigation was still running. The detective told her to take her away from the city for a while to help clear her head, take in a change of scenery, anything. Connie sighed. Being the rock for her friend was hard, but she wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Roxie, what would you say if I told you that my father's lake house was open for us?" Connie waited a while for an answer. After a few minutes of sobbing and sniffling, Roxanne looked up to her friend and wiped her eyes.

"A lake?" She asked simply. How could she take a vacation at a time like this?! How could her friend suggest such a thing? Her daughter was missing and she needed to be there when she was found….if she was found. Roxanne wanted to take the mug and throw it at Connie's face.

"Listen, you need to get away from the city for a while. The police and detectives know what they're doing. You have to trust them. There's nothing else we can do. I can't just stand here and watch you torment yourself. I can't watch you destroy yourself anymore, Roxie. *sniff* Honey, please. Do this for me." Connie began to tear up. Liz's disappearance was shattering to them both. She'd known little Lizzie ever since she was a baby. Roxanne wasn't the only one suffering.

Roxanne wanted to shout, scream, do something to release her range, her despair. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. The past few weeks of drinking took its toll on her mentally and physically. She wasn't even sure what day it was. Some nights of excessive drinking led her to pass out on the floor only to wake up hours later to chug down another bottle.

Connie shook her shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you pack."

Roxanne made no attempt to protest anymore. She was convinced that she had absolutely no control or power to her own life. She might as well hand over the reigns to Connie.

And later that night, they left for the lake house.

…

After two weeks, Liz was starting to get used to living there with the others. However, she was still having a hard time getting used to her new body. Her tail was the biggest problem. That big long thing of flesh kept moving from side to side as she walked. There were a number of occasions where she's accidentally break, or knock something over. Chairs, table, beakers, glass, etc. you name it, she's pretty much knocked it over. She earned the nickname Clumsy Ducky from the others, mainly Mikey since he was "so good at naming stuff."

One of the most annoying thing about her tail was that whenever she walked past or next to someone, sometimes her tail would brush up against them. There was this one time Liz was walking past Raph and suddenly, completely by accident of course, her tail slapped against his ass. That caused Raph to jump out of his skin holding his butt and his face was so flushed red.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SLAPPIN' THAT TAIL, LIZ!" Raph shouted in embarrassment. Liz continuously apologized, but Raph was far too embarrassed. He'd quickly say, "it's fine it's fine, forget it," and then storm away. Absolutely nobody knew he had a little crush on her still.

There were countless times Liz would do something hilarious without even meaning to do it. One time Mikey made a hot fresh pot of spaghetti and meatballs. Liz was too quick to eat it, not letting it cool off first. Next thing everyone knew, she was shouting, "AHHHH! HOT BALLS IN MAH MOUTH! HAWT BALLS IN MAH MOOOUTH AHH!" Good lord, everyone was shouting in a crazy fit of laughter. Mikey literally fell off his seat holding onto his gut laughing his ass off. Raph was bright red in the face and laughing hysterically as was Donnie and Leo. Leo quickly grabbed a cold glass of water and handed it to Liz who was fanning her hands over her mouth like a retarded pigeon.

Despite all these good, and mostly embarrassing, times with her new friends, she kept thinking about her mother. During her time with her friends, she's kept her emotions relatively hidden about her worries. They already knew about her mother and worried she must be. But Liz never pressed the issue. As much as she wanted to see her mother again, she was terrified of what her mother's reaction would be if she saw her this way. Not very well, she assumed.

Liz knew very little about science, but was thrilled when Donnie told her he was working on a retro mutagen and spent a lot of her free time with him in the lab. She volunteered to help with whatever she could. However, there were a number of times where her tail would accidentally knock over a beaker of important chemicals. Luckily on most cases, Donnie was quick enough to catch them before it fell and have to start the project all over again. Which formed a new rule in the lab, 'keep all important beakers and chemicals away from the swinging tail of doom.'

Splinter became a wonderful mentor for her. For once in her life, Liz actually had someone she could look up to as a father figure. When he offered to teach her ninjutsu, Liz was very excited to take up the challenge. At first she was hesitant though. Liz admitted that she wasn't sure she would be able to do it. She claimed herself as lazy and physically weak. Splinter nodded and said bluntly, "Yes, I know. That's why I want to teach you. It will be good for you. You are aware of your flaws that not many people would admit they have. That shows you are humble. I would like very much to teach you. You have more potential than you realize."

Liz was star struck. Her mother was the only person to see her in such a way that now for someone else to tell her that seemed unreal. She knew she was a negative person towards herself. Maybe learning from Splinter could do her some good. "I accept. Thank you Master Splinter," and respectfully bowed her head. Splinter continued on explaining that it is not simply for fun. It was a lifelong commitment that required perseverance and determination. It was a difficult decision, but in the end she made her conviction.

Splinter was more than proud.

The first few session were easy until later on. It became much harder then. As difficult as it was, Liz stayed determined to do better. Whatever life had to hit her with, she was going to make the most of it and not let it bring her down. Leo watched the training session in silence a few times. He was really happy to see how determined and how devoted she was to her training.

Liz was still healing from her wounds however. She would have to stop a few times to take a break. Splinter had told her that she should wait on the training until after she fully recovered. But Liz insisted on it. So, until he knew she was at full strength, Splinter kept the training at an easy level. One afternoon, he allowed Leo to train her for the day.

"I will be out with April for a training session. I trust that you will do just fine while we are away." Splinter and April stood by the entrance prepared to leave for the afternoon.

"Remember to keep the training simple, Leonardo. She is still healing."

"Hai Sensei." Leo bowed as they departed. He looked over at Liz seeing her cross her arms.

"Hehe, I guess this makes you the chief today." Liz teased. Leo laughed.

"Yeah I guess so. Come on, let's get started." Leo walked towards the dojo and opened the door for her. Liz stepped into the dojo first followed by Leo.

"Now, before we begin today, I need to ask you something. And you have to be completely honest with me."

Liz looked a bit worried, not sure what sort of question he was about to ask. "Umm, alright, sure. What is it?"

"How much of your injuries are healed? I have to know where exactly you're hurting the most so that when we sparr, I know where to avoid you." He asked.

Liz rubbed her arm in thought. "I'm good. Everything is mostly healed. The only thing I would have to say is my sides. They're fine, but I'm not sure it can take a hit." Liz answered, but not entirely truthfully. In fact, she was still in pain in most places of her body. She didn't say anything for one simple reason. She didn't want to look weak in front of him. So, she gave him a believable answer.

Leo seemed to buy it.

"Alright, good. Now we'll begin. Today we'll be going over weapons. Nothing fancy, we're just going over the basics. And we'll be using wooden staffs as our training tool for the day."

Leo went to the weapons rack and pulled out two wooden staffs, handing one to Liz.

Liz took the staff and waited for his next set of instructions.

"We're using the staff today for a reason. In today's session we'll be going over balance. Any weapon is only as good as the master who wields it. One who uses the staff must have balance in his weapon and balance in himself. One side cannot out weigh the other. Understand?"

Liz nodded. Leo elegantly twirled the staff in a perfect circle in his hand. Liz watched as he did a few moves with the wooden staff. He was balanced and graceful with his movements. Leo was perfectly flawless. Liz kept a firm grip on her bo staff, watching each move with anticipation. Finally he finished his movement, it was like concluding a dance in a ballroom.

"Pffft, show off." Liz teased to lighten the mood and hide her serious emotions. Leo chuckled a bit with a light blush.

"Hey hey, focus. I'm your sensei today. Let's get our heads in the game, shall we?" He motioned for her to take up the stance with her weapon and she followed his instruction. For a few minutes the dojo was filled with the sound of wood hitting against wood. Liz was starting to feel good and dared to push a little harder. Her next strike was more aggressive than the last. Leo was a little surprised in the change in attitude, but was glad to go with it and match her speed.

Liz remembered one of the moves that Raph had shown her in the group training one day. A smirky grin crossed her face as she made the attempt to try out the movement. She got low down to knee level while spinning the staff on her back and rolled on the ground to attack from behind. With the rush and acting out of instinct, Leo quickly moved to his side and jabbed the end of the staff to her ribcage.

Liz fell hard on the ground with a loud and pained gasp. She wrapped her arms around her ribs tightly as though they were about to burst from her body.

Leo threw down the staff and quickly kneeled down by her side and taking her in his arms.

"Shit, shit, shit! Liz I'm sorry! Look at me, breathe. Breathe Lizzie, deep breaths." After a few minutes of rapid shaky breathes, she was able to calm down.

"Uggghhhhhhhhh, damnit that hurt." She slapped his arm as she sat up. Leo didn't move from his position.

"You lied to me didn't you?" Leo asked sternly making her look away from him. "I know I didn't jab you that hard. Liz, you're still badly hurt. I'm taking you to Donnie right no-..."

"Just shut up damnit!" Leo's eyes widened from her sudden outburst. She turned away from him and held herself tightly. "Just leave me alone…" She didn't want to cry in front of him. Not again. Her emotions kept piling up on on top of the other. She was worried about her mother, afraid of what she might think of her, tired of hiding under the ground, angry at herself for being so weak. She completely and utterly hated herself.

"What the fuck Liz? What the hell was that about? All I did was accidentally jab you. That gives you no reason to act like a jerk." Leo became apprehensive from her foul attitude, but stopped in his tracks, reading her body language. Even though her face was turned away from him, he could tell she was crying.

"Liz…" Leo held her shoulder and made her turn around, making her face him. Liz kept her gaze low, refusing to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong? Please, talk to me."

Liz didn't want to talk about this at all. They've only known each other for two weeks. It felt awkward opening up so much. To her, vulnerability was weakness. It was distasteful and petty. The last thing she wanted was to be some sort of stupid damsel in distress, the horrid cliche of a woman needing the comfort of someone. She could handle this on her own.

Leo hung his head. He could see that he wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon. Liz got up from the ground and walked towards the sliding door. Just before she opened the door, Leo began his usual preachings of wisdom. It annoyed her a little.

"Liz, just so you know, being open and allowing yourself to be vulnerable, is not weakness. I know, we haven't known each other that long, but listen to what I'm saying. It's not hard to see that you've been hiding your emotions. You're trying not to be weak. I've noticed in your training sessions with sensei and also with me today. You're trying to be stronger. It's noble, commendable of you. But don't shut away your emotions, don't bottle away the pain. If you do, it's going to eat you from the inside out. I'm your friend, Liz. I only want to help you. You're not alone."

Liz never turned away from the door. As soon as he was done, she continued on to open the door and shut it behind her. Leo was right and she knew it. But fucking stubborn as she was, she did not yield. How could he think vulnerability was not weakness? It's exposing yourself to people, lowering your shield and removing your mask for the world to see. Despite what Leo just said, she did feel alone and it was destroying her.

Leo sighed and huffed in frustration and disappointment. He bent down to pick up the wooden staffs and put them away on the rack. He just couldn't wrap his head around it. Liz was difficult to understand. She was stubborn, absurd, defiant, brash, cocky,...smart, funny, sweet…..

Leo quickly shook his head. Where the heck was that train of thought leading him to?

He shrugged off the thought. It was getting late and another night of patrol was about to begin. He grabbed his swords and strapped them on his back. Then he exited the dojo to see his brothers already waiting for him.

"Dude, you alright? You look like you just got slapped in the face with a rubber chicken yo." Mikey asked, seeing his down expression.

"I'm fine. But have you seen Liz?"

"Yeah, I saw her go into her room a minute ago. Why? Did you guys have a fight?" Raph asked with a bit of a scowl on his face.

"No, no not really. I'm going to tell her we're leaving. Gimmie a sec."

Leo walked towards Liz's door and knocked a few times. The door creaked open and Leo peaked inside. "Liz?"

For a second there he thought opening her bedroom door would be weird, but it was already a little opened. He froze once he looked inside.

Liz was gone.

…

Liz worked her way through the maze of tunnels. She didn't walk away from the lair very far. Actually, she was quite surprised she was able to sneak away without anyone noticing her. Wow, maybe that ninja training was paying off. She chuckled to herself at the thought.

Soon she came upon a manhole cover. She steadily paced herself climbing the ladder and opened the lid. The moment she climbed out, she took in a deep long breath of fresh air. Well, sort of fresh air, it was still New York City after all. But it beats living underground for two whole weeks. The guys always traveled by rooftop she remembered them mentioning. There was a fire escape ladder just above her reach. She attempted to jump to reach the bars. A shriek passed her lips when she realized just how far she could actually jump.

Not even needing to grab the bars, she easily climbed to the platform and walked up the stairs. Soon she was on top of the building. The night air felt so good on her skin. The cool breeze making her flesh tremble from the chill. It felt so good. Liz jumped from one rooftop to another. But then she suddenly stopped. Something felt….off.

Liz quickly turned around.

Nothing was there.

She turned around again and gasped. A girl in black with armour stood directly in front of her holding the handle of her weapon strapped to her lower back. The girl grinned and smirked as she looked at Liz up and down, taking in her full appearance.

"Look what we have here! I'm guessing the turtles found themselves a new princess."


	14. The Devil's Deal

"Well…..it looks like the turtles found themselves a new princess."

Liz cocked her brow in a confused expression. She didn't respond right away since she was thinking to herself.

"_Who is she? She knows about the guys? I don't know what, but I'm seeing red flags all over this chick….I better be careful."_

Karai kept her hand behind her back, fingering at her weapon waiting on the lizard's reaction.

"Well?"

"Umm, what are you talking about exactly? What do you mean by 'turtles'?" It was in a moment of panic, but Liz managed to keep a cool facade. Quickly enough, she figured she had no reason whatsoever not to lie to this person. Just keep lying, we'll see how this plays out.

Karai raised her brow in a slightly surprised expression.

'_So….She doesn't know who they are. Maybe I can use this to my advantage.' _She thought to herself.

She crossed her arms and leaned on her hip as she let go of her weapon.

"So, you really don't know who I'm talking about?" Karai asked. The mutant shook her head.

"No….should I?"

Karai paces around the mutant with a slight smirk on her face.

"Well then, I'd have to say you're pretty lucky you don't know them. Those freaks are monstrous. It's a good thing you bumped into me before they could get a hold of you. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many people have been hurt and mutated viciously because of them. If they saw a mutant like you, they'd snatch you up in a heartbeat and use you for whatever sick shit they have in mind."

Liz stood rigidly in place as this person walked around in a casual manner talking about her friends. This bitch had bad news written all over her, so she didn't believe a word she said. But still…...she sounded convincing.

"You know what?! I'll bet you were mutated because of them somehow. But tell me…. Did you start out as a human, or a lizard?"

'_Just keep lying your way out…. Get her to believe you.'_

"I-I'm not sure…. I don't remember. The last thing I remember is my body changing in some green ooze and now I'm….like this." Liz answered as she gestured to her body.

The ninja leaned on her hip and looked over the mutant up and down, assessing her. To Liz, it felt like she couldn't run away from that sharp gaze. This person was literally and ultimately….intimidating.

Karai walked up to the mutant and fondled the fabric of the mutants shirt in her thin fingers.

"Well...these clothes certainly look new. Something a human might wear…"

Liz's eyes went wide for just a split second before hiding behind her innocent facade again. Whatever happened, she knew she had to hold up the lie. Or else she was screwed.

"I stole them. I broke into a store not too long ago and took some things. I had to find a way to cover myself up enough so that people won't see me. That and I was cold."

Karai stared straight into her eyes. She let go of the mutant's shirt and looked her over once again.

"Well….that sucks you don't know how you started. But if I had to make a guess, I'd say you were human. If not, it doesn't matter. But hey, I'll tell you what. Do me a little favor, and I can arrange it so that you can change back to whatever you were before."

Liz's eyes widened as she stared at this woman in disbelief.

'_Change me back?! She can do that?!'_

"You…..you can really do that?"

Karai smirked to herself.

'_I got her right where I want her. Good. Now she'll do anything I want. My own personal pawn.'_

"Well, not _me_ in particular. But I know a scientist who can. So? Do we have a deal?"

Karai reached her hand out in offering to the mutant. Liz looked down at her waiting hand and hesitated. Shaking her head, Liz took in a deep breath, letting it out and grabbed her hand.

"Deal."

A devilish smile spread widely on the ninja's face as she shook the mutant's hand.

"A wise decision! Now… Here's what I need you to do…."

…..

Leo ducked his head while rubbing the spot where the unexpected hit struck him. He turned sharply to look at the one who smacked him.

"What was that for?!" Leo scowled.

"What the hell did you do?! What did you say to her?" Raph quipped back. Leo looked at him confused.

"What do you mean 'what did I do?!' What the hell makes you think I did something?!" he argued. Raph crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his older brother accusingly.

"Well for starters, YOU were the last one to talk to her AND you were both in the dojo training. You were being too hard on her, weren't you? You have to lighten up with her. She's never done stuff like that before. You can't just expect someone to master it all in one day, Leo!"

Leo dropped his hands to his sides, dumbfounded by the accusation.

"Seriously, Raph?! Do you really think I'm THAT much of an ass?!"

"Yeah, sometimes!" Raph barked.

"You're such an asshole! We weren't fighting at all and I wasn't being hard on her! She's upset, ok! And all I tried to do was talk to her."

"What the heck is she so upset about?"

"Think reeeally hard, Raph."

Raph thought about it for a second. When the thought of her violent mutation and then her mother came to mind, he dropped his hands to his side. "Oh.."

"For all we know, she probably went to go see her," Donnie interrupted. They all looked at each other for a moment when the thought crossed their minds.

"Do we even know where she lives?" Mikey asked. They paused for a moment to think.

"No. Liz never told us." Donnie answered. "And I haven't had the chance to give her a T-phone either."

"Let's split up then. Donnie, you're with me. Raph, go with Mikey and stick to the tunnels in case she hasn't gone topside. Donnie and I will go up top and look around." Leo instructed. They nodded in response and went their own ways.

Leo and Donnie ran from rooftop to rooftop looking for any sign of her. Within the first hour they were sure she'd turn up soon. But when one hour turned to three, they were getting increasingly worried with each passing minute. Leo was actually starting to get scared.

Leo pulled out his T-phone and called the others.

"Guys? Any sign of her yet?"

"For the millionth time for the past fifteen minutes, NO! I told you that when we see her, IF we see her, we'd call you guys right away. Now please, stop calling!"

Raph shouted over the phone as quickly as he hung up. Yeah he knew that was being mean, but in truth, he was really worried. He couldn't handle the mere thought of anything bad happening to her. They all couldn't.

Leo looked at his phone, sighing as he looked at the time. 3:20 am and still nothing. He put his phone away in his belt and leaned against the wall. Donnie put away his telescope and sat at the edge of the roof.

"I'm going to smack her once we find her, you know that?" Donnie mumbled as he stared up at the night clouded sky. Leo chuckled halfheartedly and moved to sit by him.

"Yeah, you and me both."

"Let's call it a night, Leo. It's crazy late enough. Besides, there's nothing going on tonight anyways. It's pretty quiet."

"Yeah that's what worries me."

"I swear to God you are way too paranoid sometimes, Leo."

"And I swear to God you're an overly positive dork." Leo paused. "And an asshole." he said with a smirky grin.

"Yeah, I know." Donnie chuckled. Leo looked at this phone once again and huffed.

"Fine, you win. Let's head back home. But just before he made to dial Raph, he spotted something moving in the alley below. Donnie spotted it too and made their move. Sticking to the shadows they made their way down into the alley.

They stayed in the shadows simply for observation to see what it was before determining any form of action. As they got closer, Donnie was the first to notice what it was.

"LIZ!" Donnie gasped and called out to her.

Liz sharply turned around in a surprised jump at the sudden call of her name. She looked up to see Donnie and Leo make their way down to her as she placed a hand to her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

"My God you nearly scared me half to death!" Liz exclaimed. Donnie marched up to her without hesitation and smacked her arm (but not so hard that it would actually hurt). Liz flinched back and held her arm with a scowl on her face.

"What the hell, Donnie?!" Liz shouted, but before anything else was said, Leo walked right up to her and kept on walking, causing her to walk backwards until her back was against the wall. He slammed his fist against the brick wall and looked down at her. She looked up at him as he hovered over her, staring her down with his sharp gaze. Liz ducked her head as though to hide herself from those steel blue eyes, but she couldn't escape it.

In a cold serious voice he finally spoke.

"_Where…...were you?"_

A horrific chill went down her spine at the fierceness in his voice. Her mouth hung open but couldn't form a single word. She pushed herself harder against the wall as he took in a sharp breath, he was so close to her she could feel the heat of rage emitting from his body. As much as this looked bad, she couldn't move…...she didn't want to.

"ANSWER ME!"

It felt like Liz's heart jumped painfully in her chest from Leo's sudden burst. His cold hard gaze was unrelenting, merciless. Liz could only utter one thing.

"I'm…..I'm sorry….."

Leo's eyes went wide, seeing her pained sorrowful expression, but he wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily.

"Sorry? Well I should hope so! Do you have any idea how worried sick we've all been?! What were you thinking?! What part in your head told you it was such a good idea to just up and leave without saying a single word?! We've been looking for you for HOURS, nonstop worried to fucking death not knowing if you were hurt, captured by the Kraang, attacked by one of Shredder's mutants, or even ALIVE?! So yes, Liz, I very well hope you're SORRY."

Leo finished his rant and pulled himself away from her, facing his back to her. To be quite honest, he really didn't even want to look at her right now. Leo pulled out his phone and called Raph, letting him know they found Liz and to go home. While he was on the phone, Donnie walked up to the shaken lizard against the wall. Liz slid down to sit on the ground and held in her crying. Donnie kneeled down beside her and wiped a tear that escaped her eye.

"Liz…..look at me." Donnie stroked her hair, but she didn't turn. He then held her chin and made her to turn to face him.

"Listen to me. Don't start thinking that we don't care about you. As a matter of fact, we're kinda pissed _**because **_we care. Leo would not have yelled at you the way he did just now if he didn't give a shit about you. You have to understand that you really had everyone worried, scared even. We had no idea what happened to you." Donnie paused a moment to watch her expressions change.

"I know. You miss your life, you miss your mother and everything. Believe me, I'm going to try my very best to get you back home. If you want to, we can give your mom a call to let her know you're ok."

Liz shut her eyes tight and hid in her arms.

"I've been trying to call her! But she hasn't answered, or the line was busy, and then last week it was disconnected. I just….." she started to sob, "I just wanted to see her, but I couldn't go through with it because I'm terrified of what she might think, what she might do if she sees me like this."

Liz couldn't stop her tears from flowing, she gave up hiding her cries.

Donnie wrapped his arms around her, holding her while she cried. Leo came back after hanging up and saw what was going on. Donnie looked up and sighed.

"Let's just…..go home."

Liz got on her feet and started to follow them. She held herself and bit her lip nervously as they walked back to the sewers. After a few blocks, they finally met up with the others and made their way to walk back together. Raph bopped her head in frustration, not sparing any details on just how much trouble she was in for making them all worried. Mikey just glomped her with huggles.

There was just no hiding the nervousness and fear Liz still felt inside her. She began to walk much slower and soon drifted far behind the others. After a few minutes, the guys noticed how far behind she was and walked back to her. There was obviously something wrong. Something must have happened.

"Liz….are you alright? What exactly happened tonight?" Leo asked as he came closer.

Liz took in a deep breath. She was so lost in thought, so conflicted. But she knew well enough that she was in the right place. She was with good people who cared. At that moment she decided it was best not to keep them in the dark. She owed them that and so much more.

"Guys…...I really need to tell you something….."

…..

(back to previous scene)

"Now here's what I need you to do," Karai paused to make sure she had the mutant's attention. "I need you to be a little, how should I put it? A fly on a wall, let's just say. I don't want you to be in any kind of danger, but there's a bit of a risk I need you to take. I need you to get the turtle's attention, be their friend, gain their trust. As long as you stay by my side, I'll make sure they won't do anything to hurt you." Karai spoke softly with tenderness, masking the seething hiss in her true intentions. It was almost convincing… Almost.

"How exactly do you want me to go about this? What are you planning?"

A slight grin formed in Karai's lips as she hung one arm over the mutant's shoulders.

"I need you to basically be my eyes and ears." Karai dug through her belt and pulled out a small communication device.

"What I want you to do is keep in contact with me. When you meet the turtles and eventually gain their trust, I need you to get one of them alone. The purple banded one to be specific. He goes by the name Donatello. He's the smart one of the group. I need him for something. After that, we'll work on having the other separated and they can be taken down one by one. By the look on your face, I can tell you're not comfortable with this. But trust me, this is a good thing we're doing here. We can save a lot of lives. Do this for me, and you can have back whatever life you were living before."

There was nothing Liz wanted more than to have this woman's slimy arm off of her. But more so, she wanted to go home. She even thought to herself "_if I were ever given the chance to change back and go home, I'd take it."_ But this…..all of it felt wrong.

"Okay, got it." Liz replied simply. Karai let go of her and walked to the edge of the building to leave.

"Oh! And one more thing," Karai looked over her shoulder to see the mutant stare back. "If you betray me, I can't make any guarantees that I'll be there to save your life when you're in trouble. So ponder on that, will you?"

Without another word, the ninja jumped off the building and disappeared, leaving a lone distressed lizard behind. Liz slowly turned away, shaking while wrapping one arm around herself and putting her other hand over her mouth. She climbed down the railing of the building and made her way to solid ground. No solid comprehensible thought could form in her mind. All she could manage to do was walk forward. And that's all she did. Liz didn't bother with time or where she was going as she aimlessly walked from alley to gutter to alley again.

Lying was never Liz's strong suite, but somehow she managed to lie her way through, but only to feel beyond the point of confliction and desperation. How in the world did things turn out this way? It just wasn't fair. Only one word could describe it all.

Life.

….

(return to present scene)

Once the story was finished, Liz handed Leo the small communication device that the ninja had given her. There was an eery silence that rang through the empty tunnels where they stood. Liz held herself tighter and turned away from them.

"_I'd rather stay like this…" _

Liz said barely above a whisper. Slowly she moved her feet to walk away but soon stopped in her tracks when a pair of strong arms tightly wrapped around her middle. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was. He brought his lips close to her ear and whispered.

"_You'd make a great ninja someday."_

Liz could tell Leo was smiling like a goof. Good lord, that comment. Liz plunged into a fit of laughter while tears ran down her cheeks. You could say she was "laugh crying," or "cry laughing." Either way it was a mix of emotions FedEx packed and shipped into one box that really needed to be let open. This made Leo only hold her tighter. Raph took the device from Leo's hand and smashed it into the ground before joining in on this huggle moment that was soon followed by Donnie and Mikey.

At that moment an overwhelming feeling of love and warmth spread throughout every fiber of her being. Having all four them squish her like a pancake was the most amazing thing that's happened to her all night. But suddenly Mikey's eyes widened in a sudden realization.

"Ummmm, Raph? Did you smash that device Karai gave her before…..or AFTER this whole thing just now?" Mikey asked.

"Ummm…...after." Raph answered awkwardly while removing himself from the huggle fest.

"Theeeeeeeennnn I'm pretty sure Karai just heard the whole thing dude."

Raph stared at his brother when he pointed that out.

"Well fuck….." he was right.

"Doesn't matter whether she heard us or not. At least now we know she's up to something and we can find out what. That and she can't hear us anymore, unless…." Leo stopped midsentence to pull the collar of Liz's shirt open causing her to squeak in surprise.

"Whaaaa?! Leo whatareyadoin?!" Liz squirmed in his hold as he searched around her shirt.

"Checking to see if she left any tracking device on you to keep tabs on you. Did Karai touch you at all?"

"Yeah she did. She hung one arm over my shoulder for a few minutes while she was talking."

"There it is." Leo stated surely as he plucked out the small blinking bug and immediately broke it.

"Holy shit that was close. Good call." Donnie sighed in relief.

"Thanks. I have to wonder, why do you think she wants you in particular, Donnie?"

"I have no idea." Donnie shrugged.

"We'll found out eventually I guess, but right now," Raph yawned loudly and stretched his arms. "Let's just go home already. I don't know about you guys, but I'm fucking exhausted."

Everyone tiredly nodded in agreement and continued walking home. Liz found herself walking closely beside Leo as they neared the lair. They walked behind the others and Leo stopped her a moment while the others went inside.

"Liz," Leo sighed, not sure what words to say, but he felt like he had to say something.

"About…..the whole thing with changing you back and your mom and….everything. You know we'll do everything we can. Tomorrow, if you want, if you feel ready, we can go to your house and see your mom. And, you know, try to break the news gently." Leo stopped to see Liz's saddened expression.

"I'll be there with you every step of the way. I won't leave you unless you want me to. I promise."

Liz lowered her head and stared at the ground for a while before walking over to him and resting her head on his chest. She let out a long shaky breath and nodded her head. Leo wrapped an arm around her and stroked her head with the other.

"It's a deal then."

_**(A/N) Terribly sorry it's taken me so long to write. My life has gotten extremely busy. (Now, for some of you you keep saying "make more make more! when are you updating?! Whens the next chapter?! why have you stopped?!" Please cut it out. It's extremely annoying. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy and flattered you all like my story, but please, try to be a little considerate. I have a very busy life and I can't write all the time. I'm really trying my best here. ) **_

_**Thank you all so much for reading! There's still a bunch more to come! ^3^**_


	15. Distractions

Karai sat over the edge of a building, listening to their conversation before it went static.

"Welp, there goes my pawn." she sighed as she tossed the useless device aside. She got up and paced back and forth while trying to think of something else.

"I'll just have to find another way to get the nerd alone…."

Basically done for the night, the ninja left to return to her awaiting master. Going back '_home' _to her father was a tad bittersweet. Sure, she loved the man, but didn't exactly appreciate that he was keeping her in the dark about something. And whatever it was, it must be huge. Well, whatever. Karai knew she'd find out eventually by hook or crook. But for now, it was about time to call it a night.

….

"You all look exhausted. Didn't any of you get any sleep last night?" Splinter raised a brow looking over his sons and guest. Mikey snored loudly leaning on Raph's side while Donnie nearly fell asleep sitting upright on the mat. Leo, damn his persistence, put up a good front for a while until his eyelids started to flutter. Same went for Liz who was now snoring a full hallelujah chorus with Mikey.

Splinter sighed as to say '_gaaagghhhhh you kids,' _and smacked them all awake. Internally, he chuckled to himself from seeing all their reactions of grumbling and groaning before kneeling on the mat. Wellllll, that's what ya get.

"Would anyone mind telling me what happened last night?"

All five teens rubbed their heads in unison then all looked at each other for a second before coming up with an answer. Leo silently locked eyes with Liz and shrugged. He was going to cover for her somehow, damnit.

"I'm sorry sensei, it was my fault. I….."

"I left the lair and I got lost…. I'm sorry." Liz quickly interrupted whatever Leo was going to say. Leo stared at her in surprise. Splinter stood directly in front of her with hands behind his back.

"And why did you leave the lair? Not that you are not welcome to come and go as you please. However, with apparently not telling anyone, let alone myself, I feel the need to ask." Splinter spoke strongly, but gently. He could see that she was closing herself up.

"You know you can tell me. I will not be angry with you." He spoke a little softer.

Liz breathed in deeply and answered, "I wanted to see my mom…..but…..something kind of stopped me…." Starting to feel uncomfortable, she looked to the others for support. They gave it of course.

"It was….Karai. She wanted to use me to get to you guys. I made her believe that I didn't know any of you and that I would help her. But now I think she already knows about my betrayal. I'm sorry I left without saying anything. I just wanted to go home."

Saddened by her own actions, she lowered her head in apology.

Splinter eyes went wide for a moment once she mentioned Karai. He sighed sadly in thought of what in the world his daughter was doing. Kneeling down a little to meet Liz's eyes, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That girl you met last night. Was it the first time you met?" Splinter paused to see her nod in response. "Well….she is my daughter…"

Liz shot her head up in surprise, mouth agape.

"Y-your….._daughter_? Wha-how….why?" She asked in complete confusion.

"To make the very long story short. My enemy, whom was once my brother, took her from me when she was only an infant. Only recently I learned this. For the longest time I believed she was gone. But now, she believes the man who took her is her father, and that I was the one who took her mother's life. Of course, we've tried to tell her the truth. Now I can only hope she will see the truth for herself and come home."

Liz looked at him sadly, thinking how horrible it must be for him. Your own daughter to be raised to hate you. How tragic.

"I am so sorry." She felt the need to apologize. Splinter raised a hand.

"It is alright." he paused and sighed to himself. Shaking off the moment, he decided it was about time to get started.

"Today, we will be doing a group training. The objective is to get out of a situation in any way you can. So, in other words," Splinter gave them a bit of a grin, "it is a '_free-for-all'. _No rules! _HAJIME!"_

The brothers immediately got up from the mat and began attacking. Liz, however stayed sitting.

"What are you waiting for, Liz?! HAJIME!" Splinter started. Liz nearly jumped in her seat completely startled.

"Wha- me?! How? What do I do?"

Splinter bent down to whisper in her ear with a devilish grin. "Anything at all. From the sound of it, you are skilled at deception. A kunoichi's most effective weapon." Splinter began to grin. "You can easily fool them with pretending to be hurt. Even though you have mostly healed, they can still easily believe it. And also," he chuckled, "a kiss of distraction is another great tool of deception!"

Liz grew so red in face with embarrassment while Splinter patted her shoulder. Mikey called from across the room while the fight continued.

"Come on, Liz! Get in on the fun! Ouch!" Mikey yelped while Raph pinned him down. Liz got up on her feet with slight nervousness. Splinter gave her shoulder a light squeeze of encouragement. In a way, he knew it might have been far too soon to have her do any of this, but, really, it was a perfect way to help her heal. The smile she gave him was a sure sign that she was happy to be a part of it all. And then she jumped in.

The odds were now 5 to 1. Liz wasn't entirely sure who to fight first until an opportunity presented itself. Raph had just been taken down by Donnie. While he was basking in the glory for that short second, Liz tucked one arm under his, the other hand to the back of his head and used that leverage to make him lose his balance and pin him on the floor on his front. Donnie gasped in surprise and then turned his head to be even more surprised to see it was Liz who pinned him.

"Holy shit, Liz! Nice one!" Raph congratulated. A deep red flushed her face from the compliment and that feeling of success. For that moment while in distraction, Raph smirked when his eyes focused behind her. Liz sharply turned around, but it was too late. Leo already wrapped his arms around her middle, lifted her off of Donnie, and slammed her to the ground on her side (but not so hard that it would hurt). Quickly, Liz took that opportunity. She grabbed her side and started to gasp out a breathless cry, evilly laughing on the inside. (It did hurt, yes, but not so much to really make her cry.)

"God damn it Leo! Be fucking careful!" Raph huffed over to Liz and knelt beside her while Leo kept apologizing profusely. While Raph and Leo were focused on the situation, Liz fake struggled to sit up while holding the back of Raph's head. At the same time, very slowly, she brought the end of her tail to the back of Leo's head.

_**BAM!**_

Liz slammed their heads together and quickly moved out of the way. All four brothers stared at her completely dumbfounded.

"OOHHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHHH! DAAAYYUUUM! SHE GOT YOU!" Mikey laughed loudly in complete bliss along with Donnie. Liz grinned evilly at the two on the floor as they rubbed their heads.

"OHHHHHH IT IS SO ON!" Raph exclaimed, jumping to his feet to exact his revenge. Back and forth, everyone got pinned and some more than others. Liz ran out of options since her '_injury act' _was starting to get a little old even though she really was starting to feel the pain flare up again. But still she pushed on and decided to try something new if the opportunity came up. And there it was.

While Donnie and Mikey were focused on each other in fighting, Raph and Leo ganged up on Liz. She was literally stuck in the middle. Raph made his move first, followed by Leo. Liz dodged as best she could with the exception of being tagged a few times. Finally it came down to one last match. Leo was coming up from the left while Raph came up from behind. To Liz, this looked like the right opportunity. Liz got down, almost kneeling, and sprang upwards. Her face was now just mere inches away from Leo's. Leo's eyes widened at seeing how close they were, he almost didn't know what to do or what to make of it.

"_Oh my god oh my god oh my god, she's so close. I could almost…."_

But before Leo could finish that thought, Liz quickly turned around and slammed her lips into Raph's.

The room literally FROZE. Absolutely no one moved. Raph's face was flushed in red with widened eyes. He fought so hard with himself to not grab her tightly and plunge deeper into the kiss. But wouldn't you know it? The kiss lingered on, leaving him in a blissful daze until suddenly she smirked against his lips, brought her tail around his leg and swept him off his feet, and pinned him to the floor.

"YAME!"

Splinter called out for the match to end.

"Well done, Liz! You show great skill in deception and quick thinking. Let this be a lesson for you, my sons. You cannot allow yourselves to be so easily distracted. Observe the situation before acting upon it. Other than that, you have all done very well! You are dismissed."

Liz beamed brightly at her accomplishment. She couldn't express just how proud and happy she felt inside. Kneeling down, she offered her hand to Raph to help him up. He looked at her with confusion written all over his face, and took her hand. As they both got up, Leo looked at her just as dumbfounded as Raph did. There was a really awkward atmosphere between them except for Liz who seemed to be completely oblivious. Raph rubbed the back of his head in thought, but before he could say anything, Mikey rushed with arms open wide and glomped Liz off her feet.

"That was AWESOME! Great job today!" Mikey praised happily and proudly. Liz squirmed and giggled in his tight bear huggle. Liz patted his shoulder to make him let her go. Not that she didn't love the affection, but the pain in her sides were starting to ache a lot more…..and then it felt wet.

"MIKEY! LET GO OF HER!" Donnie shouted as he pried his arms apart. Mikey let go, seemingly unaware of why he had to let her go until he gasped at the sight of blood soaking through her shirt and on his arm.

"OH MY GOD I'M SORRY!" Mikey apologized so sincerely. "Are you ok?!"

At first, Liz didn't even notice she was bleeding until they pointed it out. Then she hitched in her breath and put a hand to her side.

"Haha *hic* . Didn't see that coming."

Donnie quickly took her in his arms and carried her out of the dojo and into his lab bridal style mumbling swears and curses to himself for even allowing her to go so far in training this soon. He put her on the medical table, lifted her shirt, and took off the gauze. Donnie sighed heavily in relief. Luckily it wasn't anything horrible. The one wound to her left side opened up slightly and not all the way. He quickly cleaned the wound and while he was at it, he cleaned and changed all her other bandages. In a heavy heap, he plopped onto his chair by the table as it creaked beneath him.

Liz sat up, patted his head and laughed lightly. "Hehehe, my goodness you're getting so worked up, Don. I'm alright, really. No harm done. Thank you for bandaging me up again, I appreciate it." Donnie rested his head in his arms and sighed a bit in frustration.

"Just be more careful next time, would ya?" he muffled. Liz chuckled and kept patting his head.

"As you say so, Doctor Donnie." Liz teased. Donnie incoherently grumbled and moaned in response, but Liz was sure she caught him say something along the lines of 'just lay down and rest a while, don't overwork your body so much.' Liz nodded and got off the table. She wanted to meet up with Leo quickly so they could talk about their plans for going to the surface later that night.

Mikey rushed up to her and hesitated before giving her the lightest softest most gentlest hug.

"Are you ok? You weren't hurt that bad were you?" Mikey asked and apologized so worriedly. Liz smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a big huggle.

"Don't you worry bout a thing. I'm perfectly ok, look!" Liz lifted up her shirt for him to see the new bandage, but he quickly turned away blushing.

"Oh don't be bashful!" Liz laughed, "Just look." Mikey turned to face her again to see her shirt halfway off, but most of her body was still covered in gauze and medical wrappings. Mikey only sighed and shrugged, mumbling "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? You didn't do anything wrong." Liz looked at him a little confused. Mikey shook his head and put his hand over hers to pull her shirt back down.

"I mean...I'm sorry I hugged you so tight. I seriously kinda forgot you were even hurt in the first place. I mean, you just seem so normal in general, like, you never show pain. You've carried yourself around so naturally that it made me forget how much pain you're really in. I'm really sorry. I'll stop hugging you." Mikey bowed his head in respectful apology.

Liz shook her head and smiled, grabbing his shoulders and making him look up at her.

"No more apologizing. It's all good, no worries. Besides, I would be super sad if you stopped giving me hugs!" Liz made a dramatic pouty face which made Mikey laugh out loud. They gave each other a huge huggle that lasted for a while before letting go and sitting together on the couch to watch tv.

Raph still felt incredibly awkward over the whole kissing thing earlier and wanted to talk to Liz about it, but that other voice of reason told him to drop it and that it didn't mean anything. In a way, he really hoped that it did. For the rest of the day, Liz and Mikey hung out together and later Donnie joined in. The day went on filled with fun, awkward moments, and laughter.

Later that night after everyone finished their movie night of epic horrors, Leo came up behind her and whispered, "Ready to go?"

Liz beamed brightly and smiled widely at him. "I'm ready."

Leo offered his hand to her. Liz gladly slipped her hand into his as he helped her off the couch and led her to the archway. As they walked through the tunnels, Liz gave Leo the address and he led her through certain tunnels as a shortcut to get there faster. While on their trip, Liz hugged herself nervously. She couldn't stop thinking of how horrible things could go, what her mother might think. Liz was ultimately and completely afraid.

Her nervousness didn't go unnoticed. Leo stopped as so did Liz. Leo didn't have to say a single word, she already knew what he was going to ask.

"I'm scared, Leo…." Liz bit the bottom of her lip and looked at the ground trying to hold back her fears. Suddenly she felt a strong and gentle hand rest on her shoulder.

"I'll be with you the whole time. I promise."

Liz let out a long shaky breath and chuckled, "You sure have a way with ladies, don't cha?" Leo arched his brow and blushed.

"Yeah yeah, shaddap. Let's go, Ducky."

Soon they came up to a manhole cover and climbed up the ladder. Leo went up first to open the lid and then helped her up. They stayed close to the shadows to make sure they wouldn't be seen. There was a fire escape ladder along the side of the apartment building where Leo and Liz climbed up. Finally they reached the fifth floor to the window of her apartment. Leo pulled out a small knife to pry open the window after seeing it was locked.

Once the window sprang open, Leo took her hand and walked inside. What they found was…..unexpected.

There were empty beer, champagne, and wine bottles everywhere. The house was a complete wreck. Liz looked around, frozen in place unable to mutter a single word until she broke the eerie silence.

"MOM?! MOM! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

In a panicked frenzy she ran through all the rooms and dug through all the mess trying to look for her mother. Broken to pieces, she found the house phone on the ground. It looked like it was thrown. Liz turned to Leo, asking for his phone to call her mom's cell phone. And he did. Liz's eyes widened when she heard a ringtone blaring from the floor in the bedroom. Liz walked into her mom's room and picked up the phone. There were hundreds of messages from friends, family, and herself. None of them were answered for the passed week and a half.

Leo came up behind her, but before he could say anything, Liz screamed and cried as she fell to her knees crying out for her mother.

"Mo-...m! Ahh HUH,huhhhhh, ehhhhhh! Mommy where are yo-...u! Ah-huhh!" Liz cried out loudly and unrestrainably. The harsh sound of her raw cries shook Leo to the core. Immediately he dropped to the floor and grabbed her in his arms. She screamed and cried into the crook of his neck as he held her tightly. After a few minutes when Liz began to calm down from her panic, she whimpered, asking where her mother was.

"I don't know, Lizzie. I don't know what happened here. Looking around, I don't see that there was anyone else but her, I mean, there's no sign of struggle and nothing seemed to be stolen." Leo hesitated to ask his question, but he needed to in order to get a full picture of what might have happened.

"Liz…..can you answer me something?" She got off of him and sat up as she wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Is…..is your mom, umm….a heavy drinker? Has she had any anger or depression problems before? Y-you really don't have to answer this," he paused apologetically. "I just need to know so I can determine whether or not someone else was here."

Liz couldn't shake off or hide the deep sadness in her features. She hugged herself and looked away.

"Yes…"

There was his conclusion. A heavily drinking mother with anger and depression. The thought led him to the idea if she was abusive…...that scared him. "Lizzie….was she….."

"No…. I know what you're thinking. But no, she wasn't abusive. She never laid a finger on me."

That made Leo sigh in relief.

"When my dad left, she was in….a bad place. I never knew or lived through any of it because I was too little to remember. During those few years I mostly stayed with nearby relatives. But finally she was back to her old self and we lived just fine together, just the two of us," she paused while gripping her arms tighter. "I guess…..my disappearing….brought her back to that bad place…."

Leo made to wipe her tears away, but she got up off the floor and said, "We should get back…." and left for the window. Leo followed close behind with a deep concern on his face.

"Liz…..we'll find her an-..."

"I don't want to hear it right now, Leo…...I'm sorry….just….not now…" Liz walked on ahead. They climbed down the building and down the manhole. None of them spoke on the walk back to the lair. And then he spoke up.

"Do you at least have any idea where she might have gone?" Leo had to ask at least that. Liz sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"No, but maybe Connie does. Mom's best friend. Connie was always there for her when she needed her most, and from what I was told, she was also there for her during those bad times." Liz continued walking on and soon they reached the entrance of the lair. "I'll call her tomorrow."

Leo reached for her arm to stop her for a moment.

"Liz, are you sure you're alright?" A pointless question, he knew that, but he felt the need to ask anyway. Liz turned around, giving him the most grave and lifeless look.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Leo was motionless, unable to answer her or do anything as she slipped from his hold and walked away to her room. He was confused by what she meant by that. It almost sounded like…...like she wasn't happy to be alive. The slightest thought of that being a possibility made his chest ache. There was just no way that could be true…..could it?

He decided that he would talk to Splinter in the morning.

….

Roxanne was huddled in her bed in a very dark room. She had shut all the windows and blinders, not allowing a single ray of sunlight to shine through. It was depressing. For the past week, Connie had to keep a constant watch over her friend. Multiple times she caught her bringing alcohol into the house along with cigarettes. Beginning from the other day, Connie had to remove all the locks to all the doors in the house because Roxanne would lock herself in a room and it scared her to no end.

Connie opened the door to Roxanne's bedroom and opened the curtains.

"Get up Roxy, It's almost noon. You're wasting the day away." Her only response was the sound of weary moans and groans from under the sheets. Connie pulled off the covers and tossed her some clothes to change into.

"Listen, I understand what you're going through. But you have to get out of this funk. I'm sorry for going this far in saying this, but what would Liz say if she saw you like this? How do you think this would make her feel?"

"Like shit…." Roxanne answered flatly as she got out of bed. Connie led her to the kitchen and together they had brunch. Roxanne didn't eat much, she hadn't for a while actually. She stared at her food blankly, deep in thought.

"I miss her, Connie." Roxanne choked out. Her expression remained blank as tears streaked down her face. Connie took her hand, giving a gentle squeeze.

"I'm more than sure the police will find her in no time. You just have to have faith." Connie soothed, but it did little to change her friend's current state. Sighing in dismay, Connie got up from her seat and walked out into the porch that overlooked the lake.

The fresh air of the woods and lake was calming and refreshing as Connie took in a deep cleansing breath. It was easy to feel calm and at peace in a serene place like this. Unfortunately, that moment of peace was disturbed by the sudden ringing of her cell phone in her back pocket. She pulled out her phone and looked at the caller I.D before answering.

"Unknown number? I wonder if it's a wrong number." She pressed the green button to answer the call.

"Hello? Who's this?" There was a moment of silence over the line before the caller finally spoke up.

"H-hey Connie. It's me, Lizzie…."


	16. Plans

Connie was frozen in place when she heard the familiar voice on the other line. It took a moment for it all to register in her head.

Liz was on the phone.

Liz was alive.

"OH MY GOD! LIZ! What happened?! Where are you?! Are you ok? Are you hurt? Where have you been?! Liz! Talk to me!" Connie was completely breathless in full on panic. Liz disappeared, and now all of a sudden she gets a phone call from her?

Liz held the phone away from her ear during the whole panic attack of questions. When Connie seemed to have calmed down, Liz took a deep breath and held the phone to her ear again.

"Connie, Connie, listen. I'm ok. Don't freak out. I'm fine, I promise." she tried to console.

There was complete and utter chaos of a frenzy going on in Connie's head. Thank God Liz was ok, but that doesn't explain where she's been all this time.

"Elizabeth Gordon, PLEASE, explain to me what happened. And tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up."

Liz nervously bit her lip as she looked to the guys who were all by her side listening to the conversation.

"I'll try to explain the best I can, but, it's complicated. But first, I have to know. Where's mom? Is she ok? Is she with you?"

The adrenaline rush had calmed down in Connie's system at this point as she slumped down on the lawn chair running a hand down her face.

"Yeah honey, she's here with me at the lake house. She's been a wreck over all this. You NEED to come home. I don't care what it is that happened or why you haven't called up until now. Just tell me where you are and your mom and I will come get you."

"But I HAVE been calling! The first week I was gone I couldn't call, but in the past week I've been trying the house number, her cell phone, everything! I went to the apartment last night to see it tore up in shambles!" Liz didn't intend to shout, but this was a fragile and emotional situation for her.

"Why didn't you call within the first week?"

"I…..I just couldn't. Please trust me on that."

Connie sighed in a mixture of anger, relief, joy, and frustration.

"Ok. I'll take your word for it. Now, Liz, where are you? I'll tell your mom and we'll be there in a few hours."

Liz sat down on the couch with the phone at hand while hugging herself with the other. There was a long pause. She just didn't know what to do.

"I…..just….I'll meet you at the apartment later. I'll do my best to explain. Connie?"

"Yeah honey?"

She inhaled deeply, "When you see me….umm…..try not to judge or be weirded out or anything like that. Can you promise me that?"

A look of confusion and concern plastered on Connie's face. "Liz, what happened? Why would I be freaked out by seeing you?"

"Just PLEASE promise me!"

Connie stopped for a moment. She could sense the desperation in her voice. Whatever happened, it must have been serious. And it scared her.

"Ok angel. I promise. I'll get your mom and we'll be home in a few hours. And please, pleeeease call or text me and keep me updated on where you are and what you're doing."

"Ok...I promise."

"Good girl. *sigh* Do you want to talk to your mom? She's in the kitchen."

"Umm….I think…..it would be best if I didn't for now. I mean, I WANT to. But if she's as fragile as I think she is, it's better to break the news to her gently." Liz had to make that tough decision on whether or not it was a good idea to talk to her at that moment.

"I think that's a good idea. For now. I'm going to call the detective and tell him you called and that you're ok so the police can call off the search."

"Umm, hold off on that for a while. One step at a time, ok?" Liz wasn't sure if it would be wise to alert the officials about her reappearance. The news would be all over it and people would ask to see her and get the story. That outcome was completely undesirable.

"Alright, alright. I'll wait. I trust you. I'm just glad you're ok."

"Thanks Connie. And thank you for taking care of mom."

"No problem. I'll see you soon. Take care."

"Later…"

Once the call ended Liz felt like she wanted to bury herself under a box and stay there. The entire call was exasperating, exhausting, and downright stressful. A long silence filled the room as no one said a word. Mikey sat up from his bean bag chair.

"So? What are you going to do?" Mikey asked. Liz looked to him and sighed.

"I have no idea." she could feel a massive headache coming on. "I'm open to suggestions if you got any."

Mikey shook his head and apologized. Liz got up from her seat and made her way towards the kitchen.

"I need some coffee."

"Right behind ya." Raph followed her into the kitchen, egging for a chance to maybe talk with her. About what though? The situation? The kiss? He mentally face palmed himself as to say 'get it together man! Don't be stupid.'

Liz was preparing the coffee as Raph leaned by the counter. He wasn't sure what to say or how to bring up some sort of conversation. 'Just….say _something.'_

"Do you want to talk?" Immediately he wanted to take that back. It sounded waaay better in his head. But to his luck, she didn't reject the question or sentiment. But she didn't turn to look at him. She simply remained facing the coffee brewer fiddling with the teaspoon.

"About what?"

"Anything. Whatever you want to talk about." The room was soon filled with the intoxicating sound and aroma of fresh coffee being made. Raph walked over to the fridge, pulled out some creamer and stood beside Liz.

"I might not look it, but I'm a pretty good listener."

His voice was deep and soft. It sent a wave of comfort and warmth through her. Instinctively, she sighed deeply and gently leaned her head against his shoulder. It was kind of weird and hard to explain, but somehow she simply felt safe and comfortable with him.

Raph was slightly taken aback. He really didn't expect her to lean on him. Luckily she wasn't looking at him or else she would have clearly seen the blush spreading on his face. Try as he may, but he couldn't even fathom pulling away from her. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze, rubbing her arm up and down softly.

Nothing was said for a while. Simply being in each others company like this in silence was more than peaceful. Liz felt pleasantly light headed and relaxed as he ran his fingers over her arm like that. The gesture, they both knew, was purely platonic. For a moment like this, there was no need to give it a title, a name, or even a reason. It just simply was.

Soon enough, the timer on the coffee brewer went off and the moment between them had ended. Respectively they prepared their own mugs and sat together at the table. Liz stared into her mug in thought.

"What do you think I should do?"

The question was sudden, but Raph didn't skip a beat.

"What do you think is the right thing to do?" he asked back. "You're the only one who knows your mother. Tell me. What exactly are you afraid of?"

Liz said nothing for a least a full minute before answering.

"I'm….afraid of being rejected. Hated…..feared." There was a soft tremble in her voice, not daring to look up at him in fears of crying.

A look of concern waved over his features as he watched her. He took her hand in his and squeezed slightly.

"Liz, you listen to me. She is your mother. There is no way in hell would I believe that a mother would ever fathom rejecting her own child because of a change in appearance. You are still you."

Liz lowered her face even more to hide herself.

"Ya know, Donnie is the smartest guy I know. Smartest guy on this planet I think. So smart that he could easily put famous scientists to shame. My point is, once he sets his eyes on something, there's no turning back for him. He will find a way to make that retro mutagen. I know he can. You just gotta have faith in him."

Raph wasn't always the best at being a soft comfortable teddy bear, he knew that well. But whatever he said must have triggered something, or he must have said something right because Liz got up from her seat and planted a kiss on his forehead, hugged him for a minute, and went back to her seat.

"Th-thank you, Raph…. I ….I really needed that."

Yeeeah that did it. There was just no hiding that red blush covering his face. He could have fucking sworn that he was starting to act just like Donnie, a dork and a half with a crush. Trying to hide his obvious blush by drinking the hot coffee surely didn't help at all since it caused him to burn his tongue. He quickly shot out of seat muffling in his hand 'ow ow ow ow ow' as he ran to the freezer and grabbed an ice cube to shove in his mouth.

"You alright there chief?" Liz snorted and tried not to laugh too much. Her only response was an annoyed growl and grunt.

Donnie and Mikey walked in the kitchen to see the two there. Mikey immediately went to close the freezer before scowling at Raph.

"Dude! You can't just leave it open, my poor kitty will melt!" A resounding 'meoooow' echoed his point.

"Burnt mah tahngue, hhad ta get ice, shaddap."

"Pfffffft! Nice one Raph." Mikey laughed and teased. Donnie sat by Liz at the table.

"So, you ok?"

"I'm alright. Just not entirely sure what to do. I guess…..I have all day to think."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They'll worry about it when it's time, but for now, it was nice to have this moment of peace among friends.

However, sooner or later…...things were about to get rough.

….

"Bradford! I want to see them NOW!" Shredder's voice rang through his lair as he bellowed in rage.

"Yes Master." The boney dog obeyed and allowed a few Kraang bots to pass through the entrance.

"It's about TIME some of you came! What happened to the shipment?! I was told by one of your other 'droids' that there was a problem. Approximately two weeks ago. What happened?!"

"_Kraang was informed that one that is known as one single canister was not is what is known as properly shipped. Kraang believes that what is known as a human came in contact with what is known as Mutagen X, a very unstable substance in which was supposed to be used for what is known as experiments for what is known as Mass Mutation in which was ordered by one known as Shredder since luckily Kraang Prime was in agreement with what is known as this arrangement."_

Shredder mentally sighed, believe it or not. Their way of speech was incredibly annoying.

"Where-did-the-shipment-go?" His patience was wearing thin.

"_It was ordered that Kraang change what is known as a new location for what is known as protection, keeping the base from being discovered. Kraang will give to the one known as Shredder the new location of the base and storage unit."_

Once the information was exchanged, plans were once again set in motion.

"Continue as planned. Grab any potential test subjects, any one off the streets. We begin experiments tomorrow."

Shredder's orders were carried out without question. Every one of his men, mutants and all, spread out throughout the city grabbing innocent people off the streets.

"I will have my army, by any means necessary."

**(A/N) Hoooooly moly this one was rushed, im so sorry ^^; I'm reeeeally trying to go as fast as i can here. I know theres a lot of grammar errors and shit, but i really dont have the time or patience to go over it all and perfect it. Feels, nfluff, and maaaaaaybeee angst coming up! ^3^ Hope you're all enjoying the story!**

**And thankies thankies thankies so so so much for all your wonderful and amazing and encouraging comments everyone! Love you guys!**


	17. NO MORE STORIES

NO MORE STORIES

I've been sent countless messages nagging me and demanding more chapters from me. No matter how many times i ask nicely for you guys NOT to do that, you do it anyways. I have a very busy life you guys. I write for me, not for you. And what im really mad at right now is this...

From (Guest) reyven delph: make more chapters, oh btw im rewriting this story but dont think im stealing from you!"

I MEAN...WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?

That is the most douchy asshole message ive ever gotten. And btw rayven, Im not happy with u. If u wanna write about Liz, fine. But dont take my work! And Liz isnt even mine. If u wanna write about Liz, you HAVE TO talk to Suzukiwee1357 because she created this oc.

So long story short. I am done with and all the disrespectful people here. I will be deleting this account in a few days.

IM DONE

GOOD BYE


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